Hope, Freedom, Justice & Labor Day

Dear Pali Pres Family,

Happy Labor Day weekend! I pray it will be a relaxing and safe long weekend for everyone. I also pray we will all take the time this holiday to thank God for his goodness and provision in our lives. In the spirit of Labor Day, let us all remember that we have been blessed by God with gifts and talents to offer through our work and service, which contribute to our community and country.

In addition to being Labor Day, this weekend also marks an important event in the life of our nation. This Sunday (September 4th) is the 65th anniversary of the day that Arkansas governor Orval Faubus called on the National Guard to bar nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. In response, President Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne Division to ensure the students could enroll. Thus, this weekend we are called as a nation to remember the courage and dignity of the “Little Rock Nine.” At the same time, it is important to recall and reflect on the “Little Rock Thousand,” the mob of approximately one thousand people who surrounded Central High School, shouting epithets as the soldiers ushered the nine teenagers into the building.

While we remain a nation of many blessings and gifts, we also continue to carry the responsibility of pursing equality and justice for all. It takes all of us, through our prayers and actions, to create and support a society that lives up to God’s design for creation. May we always be learning our lessons from history as we do what we can to live out the Gospel’s call of hope, freedom, and justice.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt