MAY DAY PASTORAL MESSAGE

Today is May Day, a day of blossoms and banners, of protests and prayers. As Pastor of Manitowoc Cooperative Ministry, I rise to say, let the Church not be silent. Let us speak with gospel truth about the hands that hold this country together, the hands that build our homes, bake our bread, teach our children, tend to our sick, grow our food, and milk our cows.
Here in Wisconsin, the land of dairy and devotion, we know well the sacred rhythm of farm life. The hum of the milking machines, the steam rising from the barn in the early morning chill, the strength of backs that bend without complaint. These are the rhythms of workers who are too often unseen, unheard, and left out of the American story. But God sees them. And God does not forget.
From Deuteronomy to the Gospels, Scripture is clear: “Do not oppress the hired laborer… whether Israelite or foreigner” (Deut. 24:14). God's economy is not built on exploitation. It is built on equity, on enough, on jubilee.
Today, I say, the workers are not the problem; they are the prophets. The dairy worker rising so our children can eat cereal with milk. The warehouse packer whose hands bleed to keep shelves stocked. The teacher shaping minds without a living wage. The nurse working overtime in worn-out shoes. These are not just laborers. They are image-bearers of God.
And when a nation neglects its workers, treating people as tools or numbers, it has wandered from the heart of God.
So, Church and community, we must not only pray for workers, but we must be in solidarity with them.
I urge you to commit to one concrete act of local justice:
• Contact your state legislators and advocate for labor protections for undocumented farm workers who form the backbone of our dairy industry.
• Support driver's licenses for all, because no one should fear being pulled over on the way to work to feed someone else’s family.
• Attend the forum, “Our Country Without Immigrants” Today (May1) at 6:00 p.m., at Frist Lutheran Church, 521 N 8th Street. Let us listen. Let us learn. Let us build the beloved community together.
May Day is not just a labor issue. It is a moral issue. It is a spiritual issue. Let us build a world where justice is not a dream deferred but a table set, with bread, and milk, and dignity for all.


Pastor Matt Sauer, Manitowoc, Wisconsin