September 2, 2019: May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.
Unless you have been living under a rock this past week, you bore witness to a nation grieving the loss of two icons – one is the Queen of Soul, the other a hero of our nation. The funerals for each drew our country out of the incessant self-absorbed cesspool into which we have been drawn by the fear and weakness of our country’s leaders, and raised our eyes toward the vision of what we could be.
The two services could not have been more different, and as a former Baptist and now Episcopal priest, I found both to be inspiring, heartfelt, and deeply rooted in a faith that knows that death does not have the last word. Yes, it is true that the pastor who gave the eulogy for Ms. Franklin is an exception to all of that, but I will not allow him to high jack the message, nor should anyone. We must appeal to our better angels, and that, my friends, was the theme of the week – for both of these individuals showed in their words and deeds a life of living what you believe, and being true to that which you profess.
This is in fact the very core of the gospel message today. I have to say that this is one of my favorite Gospel passages, because Jesus is really saying things we need to hear today. Jesus and his disciples are hungry, and they begin to eat without washing their hands. Now, personally, I’m thinking seriously folks – not washing your hands before you eat? Really? Then again, when you can heal the sick and raise folks from the dead, what the heck – maybe you really don’t need to worry about bacteria, right? Anyway, this did not go over well with the Pharisees and scribes, the temple authorities and legal beagles, as this went against the teachings of the elders and the traditions of the Jewish people, of which, we all know, Jesus and his followers were a part.
Now, as much as I side with the Pharisees and scribes on the whole hand washing thing, as usual, this isn’t about the text, but the sub-text, and there is no mistaking the message of Jesus here. He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
He tells them that what defiles is not external to a person, but a thing of the heart. Nothing that goes in your mouth can defile. Apparently Jesus has never eaten from a greasy spoon or fast food chain. But he is right that it is what comes out of ones mouth, bourn from the heart, that can defile. Perhaps the preacher at Ms. Franklin’s funeral might have prayed on this passage a bit more.
Now, while I still think folks should wash their hands before they eat, it is clear Jesus was obviously talking about far more than food. He was casting a “Hypocritcs!” charge against the leaders of the temple. And we know from this passage, and from others, that this was a consistent theme with Jesus and the Jewish authorities. In following so closely the traditions and laws of their faith, they had begun to worship them, hold them up as the work to be done, the rote following of them as the way to walk this life, and a measure of who is worthy. They were clinging tight to the law and tradition, rather than to what those very things were seeking to bring about for their lives.
This is what is happening to us all today in our nation, and in our church. It is this that we were implored, most especially in the service at yesterday for Sen. McCain, to reject.
Now, I have to say that I loved what the historian Jon Meacham said as the Rt. Rev. Mariann E. Budde, the bishop of the Diocese of Washington (in which our own National Cathedral lies), received the body of the late Senator McCain as it was brought into the narthex by the military honor guard. He said “One of the remarkable gifts of Anglicanism from the 16th century forward has been the theological idea, and it’s manifested in the service, that we are all God’s children. And so, this is what will happen to me someday, and will happen to any soul buried in the church is [that we will be] received by the ordained priest – we come from dust and to dust we shall return…this is the church universal.” He went on to say that “The language of the prayer book, the Book of Common Prayer…is one of the great achievements, [along] with Shakespeare, with Milton…” I could not agree more.
But the point of that entire message is that no matter what we do in life, we will one day be received in a narthex by a priest on the day of our own funeral. And between now and then we have a choice to make – to live a life worthy of our heritage in Jesus Christ, our ideals as citizens of this country, our identity as children of God, or to be the walking dead, denying who we are, and what we claim to believe.
Wearing a cross around ones neck, or coming to worship services doesn’t mean a thing if the life we live outside these doors doesn’t reflect the gospel we proclaim – If we deny the humanity of those with whom we disagree or who are different than us. Draping ourselves in flag waving patriotism is meaningless if we do not also support the one who takes a knee in protest during the national anthem to decry the bigotry that pervades our land.
So also that the tears we shed for the lives we mourned this week are shed in vain if we do not stand for country over party, and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. all of our sisters and brothers – no matter who they love, where they came from, what language they speak, what race they are, and what name for God they pray.
It is our actions, not just our words, that define who we are – that is what Jesus is teaching us. That is also what the author of the epistle today was trying to say, when he wrote “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God…is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” For you see in this epistle, we are reminded again that words must be borne out in action, or they are without meaning, and our lives are without substance.
As Christians, we follow a savior who valued compassion over doctrine, justice over dogma, love over tradition. When we deny the sacraments from anyone of God’s creation, we defile ourselves and turn our backs on the Jesus present in the Eucharist. When we quote from scripture to denounce the worth of any child of God, we defile our faith, and turn our backs on Jesus who stands with the marinalized and the oppressed – the widows and orphans among us.
As citizens of this country, we “…hold these truths to be self-evident, that all … are created equal, … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We stand on the principals of liberty and justice for all. But, when we build walls of oppression, instead of bridges of opportunity, when we foster division and hate, rather than seek common ground, when we choose party over country and politics over what is just, we deny the very foundations of who we are as a nation.
We are at a crossroads in our nation, and we as Christians have a responsibility to speak and to act – not only as citizens of the great land, but most especially as people of Jesus. Each of those we mourned this week gave back to their country in ways that stemmed from the deep roots of their faith – for Ms. Franklin, it was through generosity of service to those in need, and for Sen. McCain it was through service to our country as a Navy pilot, a prisoner of war, and a member of our government. And each would say to us now, they were not perfect, nor were they alone. And they would also tell us that there is no time to wait for things to get better – we must make things better. We must stand up for what is right, and good and just – not only for our country, but for our very souls.
Jon Meacham, whom I mentioned earlier, wrote a book released this year titled The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels, in which he wrote this: “The message of Martin Luther King, Jr.—that we should be judged on the content of our character, not on the color of our skin—dwells in the American soul; so does the menace of the Ku Klux Klan. History hangs precariously in the balance between such extremes. Our fate is contingent upon which element—that of hope or that of fear—emerges triumphant… In our finest hours…the soul of the country manifests itself in an inclination to open our arms rather than to clench our fists; to look out rather than to turn inward; to accept rather than to reject. In so doing, America has grown ever stronger, confident that the choice of light over dark is the means by which we pursue progress.”
“The choice of light over dark is the means by which we pursue progress.”
For a Christian, it is our only choice, it is the means by which we pursue salvation and eternal life – for we proclaim the gospel of the one whose very life and death on the cross was that very choice – showing us for all time that light is more powerful than darkness, life is stronger than death, and love will always overcome hate.
On this weekend, when we celebrate and honor those who toil for what we often take for granted, who serve while we sleep, and whose labor allows our cities and towns to function, let us pause and reflect on who we are in this pivotal time – on the labor all of us are to take on every day of our lives. For we are being called to appeal to our better angels – as citizens of this country, as followers of our savior.
In the service yesterday, there was beloved hymn, and I will share with you this well known last verse.
“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.”
“As he died to make us holy, let us die to make all free.” May this truly be our battle hymn in this war for the very soul of our nation, and of our faith.
Glory, glory, Hallelujah! May God’s truth be marching on in us!
Amen.
For the audio from the 10:30am service, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here:
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
September 2, 2018
Pentecost 14 – Year B – Track 2
1st Reading – Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
Psalm 15
2nd Reading – James 1:17-27
Gospel – Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
