O God, your prophet Isaiah spoke your Word: “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, For Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet……”
Like Isaiah this morning we must say we will not be silent.
We will not be quiet. Something has gone awry in this land. And guided by you, we must speak. We must act.
There was a time in this country when a man who worked hard could count on a fair day’s pay. But not today!
There was a time in this country when, after a lifetime of hard work, a man could look forward to retirement. But not today!
There was a time in this country when we respected the women and men who worked in our schools, protected our cities, made our levels of government work. But not today!
Today somebody has changed the rules. And we will not be silent about it!
First came the Wall Street Gamblers who crippled our economy, gave themselves obscene bonuses and began the great Lie that those to blame were Labor unions and the Middle Class! This a Lie and we will not be silent about it!
When they couldn’t fool us on that one, they blamed the immigrants, and pitted working people against each other trying to wreak havoc on a level playing field for workers.
When we saw that for what it is, they demonized our public sector unions. And we can only wonder, aren’t our unions next?
Today they balance their budgets on the backs of the working class. Tax breaks go to the ultra wealthy. General Electric doesn’t even pay a dime. They say our unions have too much voice in political life, but pretend that we don’t see the hand of the Koch brothers and other billionaires underwriting their efforts.
O yes, Lord, something has gone terribly awry in the American House! But today we will not be silent about it!
As you gave the prophet the courage to speak out, so give us that same courage this morning. For the working people of this country the stakes have never been higher.
As you gave the prophet a righteous anger, so let righteous anger pour down upon this house this morning! We have had enough! We are Labor. We are the Building Trades. We are America’s working people and WE ARE ONE.
We will not go quietly into that dark night. We will not be silent.
Today, guided by your vision, we say it is time for a new social contract in this country! And we are going to make it happen!
So bless us now with courage. Bless us with righteous anger. For today we will not be quiet! Today, WE ARE ONE, and in Your Name we will act. Amen
In your holy name, we’re going to stand up for working people. We are going to stand up for the rights of workers. And we, the Building Trades are going to do our part to put this country back on track! So help us God! Amen.
From Amos 5:
7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name.
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
and detest the one who tells the truth.
11 You levy a straw tax on the poor
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing in all the streets
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.”
17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.
The Day of the LORD
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the LORD!
Why do you long for the day of the LORD?
That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Isaiah 62:
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
point of privilege 
let justice roll on like a river
O God, your prophet Isaiah spoke your Word: “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, For Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet……”
Like Isaiah this morning we must say we will not be silent.
We will not be quiet. Something has gone awry in this land. And guided by you, we must speak. We must act.
There was a time in this country when a man who worked hard could count on a fair day’s pay. But not today!
There was a time in this country when, after a lifetime of hard work, a man could look forward to retirement. But not today!
There was a time in this country when we respected the women and men who worked in our schools, protected our cities, made our levels of government work. But not today!
Today somebody has changed the rules. And we will not be silent about it!
First came the Wall Street Gamblers who crippled our economy, gave themselves obscene bonuses and began the great Lie that those to blame were Labor unions and the Middle Class! This a Lie and we will not be silent about it!
When they couldn’t fool us on that one, they blamed the immigrants, and pitted working people against each other trying to wreak havoc on a level playing field for workers.
When we saw that for what it is, they demonized our public sector unions. And we can only wonder, aren’t our unions next?
Today they balance their budgets on the backs of the working class. Tax breaks go to the ultra wealthy. General Electric doesn’t even pay a dime. They say our unions have too much voice in political life, but pretend that we don’t see the hand of the Koch brothers and other billionaires underwriting their efforts.
O yes, Lord, something has gone terribly awry in the American House! But today we will not be silent about it!
As you gave the prophet the courage to speak out, so give us that same courage this morning. For the working people of this country the stakes have never been higher.
As you gave the prophet a righteous anger, so let righteous anger pour down upon this house this morning! We have had enough! We are Labor. We are the Building Trades. We are America’s working people and WE ARE ONE.
We will not go quietly into that dark night. We will not be silent.
Today, guided by your vision, we say it is time for a new social contract in this country! And we are going to make it happen!
So bless us now with courage. Bless us with righteous anger. For today we will not be quiet! Today, WE ARE ONE, and in Your Name we will act. Amen
In your holy name, we’re going to stand up for working people. We are going to stand up for the rights of workers. And we, the Building Trades are going to do our part to put this country back on track! So help us God! Amen.
From Amos 5:
7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name.
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
and detest the one who tells the truth.
11 You levy a straw tax on the poor
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing in all the streets
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.”
17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.
The Day of the LORD
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the LORD!
Why do you long for the day of the LORD?
That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Isaiah 62:
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
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