"Labor in the Pulpits"

Plymouth Church will host a guest speaker this Sunday as part of our "Labor in the Pulpits" observance. Ms Virginia Cobb, a strong voice for workers and a strong supporter of the Interfaith Committee For Worker Justice will join Pastor Riggs in delivering the message. The Pastor's message is based on Paul's letter to Philemon and on the Matthew 25 in which our Lord reminds his followers that the final judgment will be based upon how well we meet our obligation to serve others.

This in one of the more unusual letters of Paul from prison. Philemon was a leader of the church at Colosse and a presumed convert to Paul’s missionary preaching. The letter gives scant details about Onesimus but we can deduce that he had been Philemon’s slave, and that he had stolen some money from his master and run away to Rome. But in Rome, he came under the influence of Paul and was himself converted to Christianity. Paul convinced him to do what was right for a runaway slave and return to his Master. But Paul sent this letter with him. We really do not know “the rest of the story”, but are left with the question, what does this account have to say to us? I think it worthy of our reflection for this Labor Day observance.

In the course of the more than eight years that I've worked with the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, I have come to see with greater clarity that there is more than one way to be enslaved. The economic plight of the working poor, in many ways, brings a kind of servitude that most of us cannot imagine. What would it be like to have someone else in complete control of your life? Poverty puts people in that position. When both parents must work two jobs to make ends meet, they are locked out of meaningful family life. I know of situations in which two families of four share a two-bedroom apartment because neither family can afford the rent. The children have a roof over their head for sleeping but they literally grow up in the streets. The family never sits down to a meal together. This is an economic disability that no hard working person or family should have to face.

In many ways, Paul’s advice to Philemon echoes the words of our Lord in Matthew 25. Our faith calls us to reach out to all people—even those who are very unlike us -- perhaps most especially to those who are unlike us. Even more important is that we are to be sensitive to any person in need, whoever they may be and regardless of their situation. We are to be like the Master—reaching out to anyone who needs our help—reaching out with understanding and compassion. In Christ, we are called to be the union of those who love for the sake of those who suffer.

I admire and affirm the statements of the late Pope John Paul in his encyclical on The Dignity of Work and Workers. He reminded all that the Church universal must be quote "firmly committed to this cause for the Church considers it her mission, her service, a proof of her fidelity to Christ, so that she can truly be the "church of the poor." And the poor appear under various forms; they appear in various places and at various times; in many cases they appear as a result of the violations of the dignity of work; either because the opportunities for human work are limited as a result of the scourge of unemployment or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the rights to a just wage and to personal security of the worker and his or her family." Unquote

Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles issued this statement: "In the Catholic social tradition, the economy -- including the global economy -- exists to serve the human person, not the other way around. The moral measure of any economy is not simply the information shared, the wealth created, the trade encouraged, but how the lives and dignity of the poor and vulnerable, the hungry and destitute are protected and promoted."

What would we do if we were the Philemon to whom Paul was writing? Would we accept this man as our brother? Would we do all that we could to promote his opportunities and to value his life? This is what we are called to do by our faith commitment.

I am very pleased to welcome Virginia Cobb to our service this morning. She has been a tireless leader in this difficult arena of worker’s rights and continues to be a strong voice for the working poor and for all who do the work of the world.

All are welcome at Plymouth Church on Sunday morning at 9:45. If you have questions or comments regarding this message you are invited to email Pastor Riggs at riggsaw@earthlink.net