Prayer for Labor Day 2015

By revjudegeiger

Spirit of Life, God of Many Names, Source of Love,

As Summer slowly comes to close, and the air turns toward crisp,

help us to find a breath before the crush of the year of work and learning returns anew.

Teach us to pace ourselves;

to remember to find times of quiet and stillness;

to appreciate one another,

returning to the places that nourish our souls

so that when we reach out,

when strive for family and home,

we do so knowing who we are,

with kindness and care.

In the life of our nation, we remember this Labor Day weekend,

all the activists and organizers who helped lift our country up to be its higher self;

through offering more fair work,

both in time and in safety.

May we find new ways to build an economy that treats us all with equity and compassion.

We especially hold in our hearts this hour the refugees from Syria who are desperately seeking shelter across Europe and beyond.

Mother of Grace, teach the nations new ways to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable with speed and diligence.

May our hearts not be hardened to the plight of those far from our gaze.

And we pray that our own nation, built upon the dreams and struggles of generations of immigrants and refugees,

find the spirit to renew our former pledge to all the tired,

and all the wretched in need – with a sense of humbleness;

For we have forgotten where we came from,

when we ignore another who is lost and far from home.