“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.” (James 1:22–25 NRSV)

Dear Family in Christ,
We begin the month of September with Labor Day, the unofficial last day of summer, and a three-day weekend in which to take a break and relax. Labor Day was created to honor those who labored in factories, often for more than 12 hours a day and 6 days a week in difficult and dangerous conditions. We thank God that we have laws that protect workers so that we can work in healthier conditions than a century ago.

In the first chapter of James, the author also talks about laboring: Be doers of the word and not merely hearers. How can we be “doers” more than hearers? We are called to act for others, remembering that we are like those around us, human beings who struggle to survive and desire to thrive, who seek justice and liberty and love.  We in the ELCA are known as the “God’s Work, Our Hands” church because we believe that God’s grace has freed us to love and serve others.

I pray that we continue to be God’s hands in our world as we work together,
Pr. Ellen