GREETING
Rev. Emily McGinley (she/her/hers)
One: The Lord be with you.
Many: And also with you.
Song
You Are Love And Love Alone
PREPARATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Come, all who labor and are weighed down with responsibility, uncertainty, and anxious thoughts.
Many: We come, because the load we carry is heavier than we can bear alone.
One: Come, all you who seek to relate work and worship, leisure and service, into a meaningful whole.
Many: We gather for spiritual renewal and practical challenge, for help in making choices and carrying out our commitments.
One: Come, sinner and saint, with your hatreds and loves, your failures and successes, your sorrows and joys.
Many: We respond to the Spirit’s leading and open ourselves to receive God’s gracious gifts.
PRAYER OF ADORATION
All: Worker God, whose hands crafted the earth, molded our bodies, and sowed the stars across the sky, we gather in your presence this morning with praise and thanksgiving, joining our hearts with all your creation. Meet us here in this time of worship, renew our minds and strengthen us for the work of building a world shaped by justice, love, and peace. Amen.
Song Continued:
You Are Love And Love Alone
Song:
The Love of God
WORDS OF WELCOME
PASSING THE PEACE
One: The peace of Christ be with you all.
Many: And also with you.
Song of Peace:
What We Need is Here
BLESSING OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
One: People of God, what is our prayer for these children and youth?
Many: May the Lord be with you.
One: And children and youth, what is your response?
Children and Youth: And also with you.
One: Children and Youth, in every moment where you find yourself doing things that are ugly or beautiful, brave or cowardly, may you remember that the truer and truest thing about you is that you are loved by God. And by this love you have been made perfect even as you are being made holy.
All: Thanks be to God!
Song
The Breastplate of St. Patrick
TESTIMONY: Adam Tessier
PRAYER OF BLESSING
All: God, We thank you for the journey we walk and that we do not walk alone. We thank you for your transformative work in each of our lives and the gift to witness that same work in others. Help us to see and share the ways that you are moving in our own lives so that others might also be strengthened for their journey. Amen.
Song:
Doxology
READING: Jeremiah 22:1-5; 13-17
One: The Word of the Lord
Many: Thanks be to God
SERMON
Amanda Samuel (she/he/they)
Quiet Reflection: You may use this moment to notice what God is inviting you to consider. How does that inform your next most loving step?
OFFERING
GENEROSITY PRAYER
All: Creator and giver of all that is good, in this season of stewardship we give you thanks for the many blessings of our lives. All that we have comes from you, and we offer you praise for the beauty of the earth, for our loved ones, and for the gifts we share together as a community of faith. Gracious and generous God of abundance, give us courage to join in your work of transformative love throughout San Francisco. Shape our hearts to give freely, joyfully, and with trust, that our time, talents, and resources may deepen connection with one another and with our neighbors. Bless the gifts we bring, that they may become signs of hope, instruments of justice, and expressions of your boundless love. Amen.
MUSICAL OFFERING
Bread and Roses
CONFESSION OF FAITH: The Social Creed
As we come to God’s table, we will affirm our faith using a creed written by our friends in the Methodist tradition called The Social Creed. The Social Creed was first drafted in 1908 during the height of the American Labor Movement. All around the country men, women and even children worked in factories, warehouses and mines under brutal conditions. The hours were long, the wages were low and benefits practically non-existent. There were few federal safety standards in place to protect against workplace accidents. Workers organized themselves into unions to demand better treatment, while activists and religious leaders began advocating for rights of workers. In the years since, the Social Creed has been revised and expanded to reflect the ever growing nature of worker’s rights.
All: We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress. We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.
We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
One: The Lord be with you.
Many: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts!
Many: We lift them up to the Lord!
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Many: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
One: Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Many: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
One: O Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, on this Labor Day Weekend we thank You for Your care and loving concern for workers throughout the world. We remember all workers: men and women; young and old; all races, ethnic and language groups in Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, North Africa, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America and the Middle East. Help all working personnel realize a deeper understanding of Your presence, and call them to do justice and build human community where they are employed.
PASTORAL PRAYER
"A Christian Labor Day," created by Interfaith Worker Justice of Chicago
One: For workers who face dangerous conditions or hazards in their work without sufficient warning or protection,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all who face the conflicts of working and caring for children without adequate support,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all workers who cannot find work and for whom unemployment assistance is not available,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For workers who are displaced by technical change or global pressures to relocate jobs,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For children whose childhood has been cut short because they are forced to work,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all who face difficulties or are discriminated against in getting work or at the workplace because of race, gender, ethnicity, physical disabilities, political or religious beliefs or sexual orientation,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all workers who have been affected by labor disputes or who have been discriminated against as a result of their union activity or because they sought justice in their place of employment,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all workers whose work is taken for granted, is unappreciated or lacks meaning,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer.
One: For all who are prevented from working due to immigration status, or whose status puts them at a greater risk of exploitation,
All: Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer. Amen.
LORD'S PRAYER
All: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
One: Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Many: Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Distribution of the Bread and Cup
One: These are the Gifts of God for the People of God, come and receive them with gladness.
Song:
Take My Life and Let It Be
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
All: O Holy One, we give you thanks for this meal that nourishes us, body and soul. We give thanks for bread and roses, the fruit of labor, and of hands and minds alike. Amen.
Song
Justice Will Roll Down
BENEDICTION
DISMISSAL
One: Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Many: Thanks be to God!
One: Go, in God’s Peace
Liturgist & Presider: Rev. Emily McGinley
Preacher: Amanda Samuel
Reader: Janet Harris
Musicians:
Christie Chew, pump organ/looper & vocal
Richelle Scales, piano
Colleen Howell, vocal
Ben Lee, guitar & vocal
Audio/Video:
Jason Morrell, Worship Arts Production Lead
Brendan and Kelly Lafferty, ProPre