Labor Day Scripture

"Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day.  He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.  He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Today is Labor Day.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” 

We’re all American workers in one way or another.    The important question is: “Through our work do we bring glad tiding to the poor through compassion and generosity; proclaim liberty through care and mercy to those held captive to depression and loneliness; help those blind to their bad behavior understand the harm and hurt they cause; and free those oppressed by our refusal to forgive by forgiving?"

Can we honestly say to Jesus that this "scripture" is fulfilled in his hearing, and our behavior is acceptable to the Lord?  Perhaps all we can say is we’ll keep trying on this Labor Day to achieve more in support of real and effective social and economic improvements for those in need.

Deacon David Pierce