Walking With Christ

Colossians 3:23-24
(23)Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, (24)knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.(ESV)

Mark 2:27
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.(ESV)

It’s Labor Day. I hope everyone is enjoying a little down time. Labor Day is about the laborers, the people who make businesses work.

The origins of Labor Day began in the late 1800’s as the trade and labor union movements were picking up momentum as workers were being forced to work hard with longer hours, less pay, and no days off. The first Labor Day parade was held 9/5/1882 in New York City under the direction and planning of the Central Labor Union. It was intended to bring a focus to worker’ rights, unfair labor practices, and poor working conditions. The first parade saw more than 10,000 workers who had taken unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square.

It was such a hit that other states began their own parades. It took just twelve years for the citizen powered parade to become a federal holiday under President Grover Cleveland, meaning that the first official federally recognized celebration of Labor Day was 9/3/1894. This was only the first of many steps required to get the working environment to what we know today. This holiday is intended to recognize each of those many steps and celebrate the spirit the day embodies.

I would argue that none of this would have been necessary if the people had simply been able to remember the Sabbath day of old. This day serves as a reminder of what happens when we forget the Sabbath in favor of greed. Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.