Happy Labor Day 2023

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Blessed by God!
VERSE OF THE DAY
September 1

Nehemiah 1:11

11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

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Hi Delana,

Despite the fact that it proved to be mostly a false alarm, the “Powder Alarm” of Sept 1-2, 1774 showed the colonists that the British were serious – and willing to use gun control efforts to subjugate them. 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

In response, thousands of people armed up and started streaming towards Boston to fight off the aggressors in what became a precursor to Lexington and Concord just a few months later.

Of course, they don’t really teach this in the government-run propaganda centers/schools.

First, some quick background.

In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the “Coercive Acts.” Among other moves, the British closed the port of Boston and revoked Massachusetts’ charter, bringing the colony under the total control of the British government. 

These actions further inflamed tensions between the British and the American colonists. Many colonists saw this as a further attempt to strip them of their right to self-rule and force them into submission.

As noted by American History Central, The people of Massachusetts began to plan for the worst.

Many of the towns throughout the colony were in the habit of storing weapons and ammunition in storehouses throughout the colony, including the Provincial Powder House on Quarry Hill in Charlestown. Slowly, and quietly, the towns started removing their weapons and ammunition from the storehouses.

General Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, felt the best way to deal with this and keep the peace would be to disarm the colonists as much as possible. 

Yes, that’s just what empires have always done. 

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Hi Delana,

Despite the fact that it proved to be mostly a false alarm, the “Powder Alarm” of Sept 1-2, 1774 showed the colonists that the British were serious – and willing to use gun control efforts to subjugate them. 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

In response, thousands of people armed up and started streaming towards Boston to fight off the aggressors in what became a precursor to Lexington and Concord just a few months later.

Of course, they don’t really teach this in the government-run propaganda centers/schools.

First, some quick background.

In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the “Coercive Acts.” Among other moves, the British closed the port of Boston and revoked Massachusetts’ charter, bringing the colony under the total control of the British government. 

These actions further inflamed tensions between the British and the American colonists. Many colonists saw this as a further attempt to strip them of their right to self-rule and force them into submission.

As noted by American History Central, The people of Massachusetts began to plan for the worst.

Many of the towns throughout the colony were in the habit of storing weapons and ammunition in storehouses throughout the colony, including the Provincial Powder House on Quarry Hill in Charlestown. Slowly, and quietly, the towns started removing their weapons and ammunition from the storehouses.

General Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, felt the best way to deal with this and keep the peace would be to disarm the colonists as much as possible. 

Yes, that’s just what empires have always done. It was Gun Control: The Powder Alarm and the Road to Independence.

Today in History: British Seizure of Gunpowder Leads to “Powder Alarm”

On Aug 27, William Brattle, the leader of the provincial militia, snitched in a letter to Gage to let him know the colonists were taking their powder, and that only “the King’s supply” remained. Gage, of course, determined that the remaining powder had to be taken and brought to Boston for “safekeeping.” 

On Sept 1, Gage sent sheriff David Phips, along with a force of 250+ Redcoats, with orders to remove the power – and Brattle handed him the keys. Most of the troops returned to Boston, but a small detachment marched to Cambridge and seized two artillery pieces assigned to the Middlesex County militia.

But with that many troops assembled in Boston common and sailing up the Mystic river at 4 or 5am – it’s not surprising that rumors of an all-out war started to spread like wildfire.

There were multiple reports of the British killing a number of people, Boston getting bombarded by warships, and more.

Rev Ezra Stiles was informed that 6 men were killed. Silas Deane heard a mob descended on Brattle’s house, and troops opened fire with “a large number wounded.” Rev. Stephen Williams heard that Boston “was demolished.” And within days, news traveled to Philadelphia, where John Adams was given what he called a confused but alarming account of a potential “bombardment of Boston.”

Despite the fact that these all turned out to be rumors only – at least for the time being – how the people responded was nothing short of remarkable. 

Immediately, as many as 5000 – and upwards of 20,000 people armed up and started streaming towards Boston from as far away as Connecticut. One traveler in Shrewsbury reported that in the space of 15 minutes, 50 men had gathered, equipped themselves, sent out messengers to surrounding towns, and left for Boston.

Within 24 hours, several thousand Massachusetts farmers marched in Cambridge demanding that Attorney General Jonathan Sewall, council members Samuel Danforth and Joseph Lee – and Sheriff David Phips – resign or apologize for the actions they took. They then moved to Lt. Gov. Thomas Oliver’s home and threatened him into signing a resignation. Brattle – the snitch – was forced to flee.

It quickly became clear that the rumors of a hot war were false. As the facts overtook the rumors, the colonial militias returned home.

But the threat of more British gun control was still very much on their minds and they were right to worry.

The King then banned the importation of all arms and ammunition without a permit. And guess what – no one was ever issued a permit.

Lord Dartmouth, the Royal Sec. of State for America – suggested more aggressive measures. He urged Gage to “Upon no account suffer the Inhabitants of at least the Town of Boston to assemble themselves in arms on any pretence whatever, either of town guard or Militia duty.”

Another letter to Gage was even more aggressive:

“all cannon, small arms, and other military stores of every kind, that may be either in any magazine, or secreted for the purpose of aiding the rebellion, should also be seized and secreted”

We know what happened – and with a goal of confiscation, the British marched on Lexington and Concord in April 1775.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Like many of you, I’ve been looking forward all week to the Monday holiday, thinking about how I’ll take advantage of the extra time out of the office. But this year I’ve also been thinking about Labor Day itself, its importance, and the ways I do – or don’t – appreciate the significance and the dignity of labor in my daily life.

Labor Day may be a secular holiday, but considering the Benedictine tradition of ora et labora (prayer and work), a holiday dedicated to labor and laborers seems particularly appropriate to life at the Abbey. In a way, prayer is an expression of our relationship with God, while work is an expression, or recognition, of our relationship with others and with creation.

Given this, and the value of Benedictine hallmarks like discipline, humility, and stewardship, I’m realizing that I don’t always recognize those whose labor is actually a ubiquitous presence in my daily life.

When I get up in the morning and switch on the light, I don’t think about those at work in the power plant supplying my electricity, or the technicians who keep it running all over the county and the state. I don’t necessarily think about the manufacturing labor involved in the dress I put on or the agricultural, transportation, and service labor that brings the fruit or the coffee to my breakfast table. When you stop and reflect on it, it’s astonishing how many people we need to be grateful for as we carry out our day-to-day lives.

The monks of Belmont Abbey have taught me that work is a part of the daily rhythm of our vocations. Labor allows us to exercise patience, endurance, and generosity, and it gives us the opportunity to imitate our Creator, who is, after all, at work in the ongoing creation of the world.

As we celebrate this Labor Day weekend, let’s try to value the work we do and the work we receive as means of strengthening community and embracing responsibility for each other. Let’s remember to show our gratitude to each other and uphold the dignity of work and of workers in our words and deeds.

That in all things God may be glorified,

Today in the Word logo

Who is God? Images of God in the Old Testament.
Images of God
Friday, September 01 | Psalm 23:1–6
On the Go? Listen Now!

“The LORD is my shepherd.” Psalm 23 contains one of the most famous images of God in the Bible. In the original language, the phrase is only two words long. Yet, it would take a whole book to fully unpack its depth of meaning.

This month, we will look at the way God reveals His character to us through images. In the Old Testament, God is described as a light, a shield, a rock, an eagle, a potter, a craftsman, an artist, a warrior, and a king, to name just a few.

The images of God in the Bible are not meant to be exact or perfect representations. When the Bible compares God to a shepherd, it helps us more fully understand who He is. For example, shepherds in ancient Israel were often servants or hired hands. This does not mean that God is a hired hand.

But Psalm 23 shows us how God is like a shepherd. He provides for us: “I lack nothing” (v. 1). What a powerful statement! He guides our way and cares for our needs: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters” (v. 2). God protects, loves, and cares for His people. In the same way, we are a lot like sheep. We trust our Shepherd and are blessed when we follow Him.

A theologian explains how the Bible’s use of metaphor helps ignite our understanding: “Metaphor consists in bringing two sets of ideas close together, close enough for a spark to jump, but not too close, so that the spark, in jumping, illuminates for a moment the whole area around, changing perceptions as it does so.” We hope that this study will draw you closer to God and deepen your understanding of who He is.

>> Since we are studying images, why not start a picture journal? Whether you are artistic or just love to doodle, try to capture images that teach you something about God using paint, colored pencils, or even crayons.


Pray with Us
Heavenly Father, as our Shepherd we ask You to guide our study of the Old Testament this month. You have chosen each of these images to reveal Yourself in a way we can grasp; may this study enhance our understanding of You.