A message from your Interim Rector 9/9/2026

This newsletter comes a few days after “Labor Day”. A day meant to honor our work as holy and beneficial for the greater community. Strangely, it seems to me, that we honor “Labor Day” by taking a day off rather than working and being thankful for the gifts and talents which provide us meaningful and productive work.

Now, I realize most of you won’t think it strange to take a holiday off and I am not against days off from work. I enjoy a good day off. Maybe it would be helpful instead to think of our work as our offering of our time to the common good. Without the work of individuals and teams of people, the economy would grind to a stop and none of us would be able to sustain ourselves alone. Just think of the water we drink, it takes many people to pipe the water to locations which treat it and make it safe to drink. Then it takes teams of people at pumping stations to send it to our homes and pipe-fitters and plumbers to get it to our houses and through the maze of pipes, so that we have water for all the things we need. So, maybe on this Labor Day, we give thanks for the many unseen and unrecognized people whose labor makes our lives enjoyable.

The reason that water from the turn of a water faucet comes to mind for me, is that as a young child we often visited family in rural Georgia. Our family there lived on a farm and did not have running water or electricity; and I learned how to get water with a rope and bucket from a well and bring it into the house. Water to cook with, water to clean up messes, water to brush teeth or take a bath - all had to be drawn from the well and carried to the house; and to get hot water someone had to boil it on a wood burning stove first. I won’t bore you with all the details, but it made an impression on me and my sister; and we would come home thankful for the water in the faucet and the bathtub with hot water.

So, think about all those on whom we depend for the conveniences that we have and give thanks for their work on this holiday. I also invite you to think about the unemployed. The Book of Common Prayer offers this prayer: “Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (BCP p. 824 #30)

Enjoy your week and remember to be thankful for what you have and to lift up in prayer those who seek work. Some days our work may seem mundane or even meaningless, but I know that if you reflect on your work and offer it to God , you will find a sense of fulfillment and hopefully joy. The Benedictine model of life says we should offer whatever we do to God in a prayerful way. Whether we work for gainful employment or work as a volunteer for the church or other organization, if we see the offering of our time as a gift offered to God and to the community; then it opens us up to the possibilities God has for us.

Mother Pat+