Here’s
a congregational act of confession for Labor Day from the United Church of
Christ website. (See link below.)
Invitation to Confession
On
this Labor Day Sunday
let
us lift up all people who labor,
either
for pay or as volunteers,
in
jobs or at school,
at
home or in the workplace,
here
at home and all around the world.
Unison Prayer of Confession
We
are workers, God, just like you.
But
we confess that our actions
do
not always affirm and honor each other.
Our
work is not always done in a spirit that is pleasing to you.
We
confess that, on some occasions,
we
have blindly bought goods made by people who are paid too little
or
work in unsafe conditions.
We
admit that we have failed to end an unjust system
in
which some workers have jobs that provide good wages and benefits
while
others may have no job,
or
one that pays little and provides few benefits.
Creator
God,
help
us to be your people,
working
for a world where all workers are valued.
A
world where those who clean houses are also able to buy houses to live in.
A
world where those who grow food can also afford to eat their fill.
And
one where those who serve and care for others –
in
stores, schools, hotels, restaurants, nursing homes, and many other places –
are,
themselves, also served and cared for.
A
world where all workers everywhere
share
in the abundance that you have given us.
Words of Assurance
Our
God is a God of grace and transformation.
When
we ask, God gives us the courage and strength
to
live out our faith in the workplace and the marketplace,
as
well as in the sanctuary.
~
written by Edie Rasell, Minister for Economic Justice of the United Church of Christ, and Vice-President of Interfaith Worker Justice. Posted on the United Church of Christ website. http://www.ucc.org/justice_worker-justice_labor-sunday_worship-resources#liturgy
