Labor Day
We have devolved as a society in at least one very insidious way. We tend to celebrate many holidays in
exactly the same way. Memorial Day is considered the unofficial beginning of the summer, and Labor
Day is considered the unofficial ending of the summer. As we pause for a moment, we would all agree
that these holidays are completely different, but what we do seems much the same. We take three-day
weekends, we barbecue, and or we go to the movies. The movement of holiday observances to Mondays instead
of having them on the day that they naturally occur contributes to our repetitious behavior. President’s Day
(Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays combined into one observance), Columbus Day, and Veteran’s Day are
examples.
Of course, Labor Day is always the first Monday of September. It grew out of the late 19th century American
labor movement as a campaign to recognize the social and economic contributions of workers during the height
of the Industrial Revolution, when typical workdays averaged 12 hours and most working people worked seven
days a week. The first Labor Day Celebration was on September 5, 1882, and it was declared a national holiday
by President Cleveland on June 28, 1894.
Quite frankly I don’t have a problem with our normal holiday behavior, but it does occur to me that in the midst
of it we can fail to acknowledge the reason for the special days that we get to enjoy. I find Labor Day to be one
of those days. As the saying goes, we stand on the backs of those who have gone before us, the 12 hour a day
seven day a week worker.
Pastor Gary
