Are you familiar with Public Law 90-363 of 1968? It amended Section 6103 (a) of Title 5 in the United States Code. While probably neither the referenced law nor its amended section of the code means anything to you, its effect certainly will this weekend. So enjoy your day off on Monday.
The “Uniform Monday Holiday Act” was enacted on June 28, 1968. Based on this act of Congress, in 1971, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day were moved from fixed dates to Mondays as legal public holidays. Columbus Day, in addition, was added as another legal public holiday and designated on a Monday as well.
Veterans Day, however, was removed from its Monday slot in 1978 and returned to the traditional November 11, the actual day of the end of World War I. Less than a decade later, Congress added another three-day holiday weekend when Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday became a public holiday in 1986.
Congress crafted the act to add three-day weekends for federal employees. However, the tourism and travel industry probably benefited most. Americans now take advantage of the extended weekends by enjoying mini-vacations. We suspect many will use this Labor Day weekend to enjoy a final summer getaway.
Especially this weekend, we encourage you to thank all who made valuable contributions to the labor movement. But we also ask you to focus your attention on the middle day of all three-day holiday weekends, and the first day of every week, on the Lord. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. You may do so this Sunday and every Sunday. Would you mind joining us for worship this Sunday, September 5, for our 9:15 AM (indoors) and 10:30 AM (outdoor drive-in) liturgies?