Sixth Sunday after Pentecost A; 07.05.26; G. Miles Smith+
Gen. 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Song of Songs 2:8-13; Romans 7:15-25a; Mt. 11:16-19, 25-30 6th Sunday after Pentecost A; 07.05.26; G. Miles Smith+
Let me begin this morning by calling your attention to an important distinction…about how Episcopalians observe this Sunday and its implications for our Christian responsibility. And then a few more words about the scripture today. +
The Book of Common Prayer (p.16-17) identifies only two national holidays in its liturgical calendar— and names each to be in the special category of a Holy Day—Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day. What that means in practical terms is that there are scripture readings and a collect assigned for each of these days, in the event that there is a worship service planned for those days (as we do with the Blessing of the Hounds). So, the collect—the prayer--for Independence Day (p.242), you will hear following the Litany of God’s Mission for the Church. I will offer that prayer as a pastoral response to yesterday’s Independence Day.
But the fine point on this…is that I am not authorized to replace the principal collect for today with the Independence Day collect. And all the proper readings for Independence Day cannot replace the proper readings for today--they can only be read in a service on July 4th. Now, if I was still a United Methodist Elder, I could do whatever I wanted to do with today’s service. But Episcopalians have a very specific obedience to give to the directions of the prayer book…for very compelling reasons from our long history. So when the prayer book directs that “All Sundays of the year are feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ” then that means that a national holiday—even a national holiday specified by the prayer book as a Holy Day—may not take precedence over the focus on Christ on a Sunday. This is a liturgical principle…that embodies a theological principle…of the priority of our devotion to Christ…even on the Sunday following the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
And yet there is a nuance here…that I think is important to call to your attention…because we may be the least likely to notice it. Whereas someone who worships in an Episcopal Church for the first time might. Even though the prayer book prioritizes Christ over country…there is something else that is remarkable about the prayer book…that comes directly from the New Testament… something that we experience in our worship every Sunday: Episcopalians pray for our government leaders nearly every single Sunday.
While today we are featuring the prayers for the mission of the church…on all other Sundays…the Prayers of the People always include intercessions for national leaders. That does not require any particular political point of view…and it does not exclude constructive criticism for reform…but it does demonstrate a very significant civic sensibility…which has long existed in the prayer book…and has been intrinsic to being Episcopalian. Our kind of Christianity is not private and individualistic… but opens out into the world. In fact, Episcopalians have a long history that goes back to the beginning of America…of being leaders in national and civic life. I believe that this is something to be proud of…and also something for Episcopalians to continue to take seriously as a Christian responsibility. +
So, now, having said all that, I want to pivot toward the scripture today. As I have noted…the scripture today is specific for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, and not for Independence Day. And yet…as it turns out…there may nevertheless be some resonance here…with our national holiday.
What I’m hearing in the scripture…could be summarized under the themes of…love…and…captivity.
First, let me start with love…and move toward captivity.
Now, there is an abundance of literature over the centuries…and popular culture…from the perspective of both men and women…that marriage can be…a kind of captivity. The references range from witty…to snarky…to quite sober…whether it is Jane Austen…Oscar Wilde…or Kramer on Seinfeld… I’m sure you can well imagine it.
The Old Testament lessons broadly focus on love. Genesis tells a somewhat confusing story about an arranged marriage…between Rebekah and Isaac…as part of the larger story of God’s promise to Abraham. Of course, arranged marriages…were largely arranged by men in those days…leaving very limited realms of personal choice for women…and those marriages might also include household servants being given to husbands to have children by…or multiple wives…or concubines. King Solomon apparently had an abundance…of all three. So, those kinds of marriage could definitely be a kind of… captivity…for women. But there is also a dim intimation in this story of a potential for some form of mutual affection and love between Rebekah and Isaac.
However, mutual affection and love…is…explicit…when we get to the reading from the Song of Solomon. Both the man and the woman say to each other: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” The man and the woman both express ardent desire…and mutual affection and love…for one another.
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Now, in order to address the last two readings for today from Romans and Matthew, I need to pivot…and begin with captivity…and move toward love…since these last two readings I would broadly identify as being about captivity.
The Apostle Paul is very transparently vexed over his awareness…of his own inner captivity…which hinders his obedience to God. And that same kind of captivity plays out in the last reading as Jesus comments on how people’s responses to him and John the Baptist…so often tend to be fickle and fault-finding. They are captive to the reality of sin that Paul recognizes…and yet they do not recognize it.
+ It is on this point of captivity…that there is a curious relevance of these readings with Independence Day.
250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence (1776) named a moment in American history where captivity…to the tyranny of the British crown…became intolerable…and new way of being a nation began. Eleven years later (1787)…the U. S. Constitution…elaborated on this new way of being a nation…by identifying a governmental polity characterized by a separation of powers…to prevent a return to other forms of captivity. There were to be checks and balances…between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government…checks and balances between the federal and state governments…checks and balances between government and the unalienable rights of citizens.
Why? Well, from a Christian perspective and as Paul said so well…it is understood that every human being is prone to their own inner captivity to sin…and that that captivity then will play out into the public sphere…taking other forms of tyranny. The origin of our country is effectively, if not intentionally, a response to the reality of this relentless…self-defeating conflict within human beings…and attempting to chart a better way forward for our civic life.
And, you may not realize this…but this is also true for The Episcopal Church. Two years after the U. S. Constitution was written…the Episcopal Church was established (1789)…and it modeled its form of governance after the U. S. Constitution… forming its own Constitution and Canons…with many of the same national leaders involved. Which is why, even though the Episcopal Church has bishops and its own institutional hierarchies…there are also all kinds of checks and balances in our church polity to help prevent our falling into captivity in some form of ecclesiastical tyranny.
While the larger governance of the Episcopal Church may be invisible to most parishioners, one way that that guarding against captivity plays out in a parish…is that there is a highly specified balance of power and responsibilities…between the Rector and the Vestry. Neither I…nor your Vestry…may “rule” a parish…but we are collegial partners in ministry together…with each our respective roles. That may seem pretty hum-drum most of the time, but when compared to other church polities which can give a preponderance of power…to either the clergy…or the laity…then frankly, it is brilliant. And so is the polity of the United States that began with a Declaration of Independence… and then was fleshed out in the U. S. Constitution. And each of these polities---national and ecclesiastical--call for our responsibility.
And chief of those responsibilities…from a Christian perspective…in the midst of all the great complexities of national life…and sometimes church life too…is returning to the basic Christian calling…of mutual affection and love. That…so easily gets lost in the intensities of a moment.
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Mutual affection and love…can actually provide a different kind of checks and balances…than the institutional ones that we create. Marriage…can be many things…and involves many things…but it also…through mutual love and affection…can provide the kinds of checks and balances…that we cannot quite manage alone…in order to not veer too far off course…so we can become our best selves.
And that can be true for our civic life as well. I believe that in the midst of all the voices of all the difficult political strife in the 250th year of Independence Day…that there nevertheless remains a very large…very broad majority of Americans…who simply love their country…who appreciate its many gifts…who want to make it better…and who want to have a decent community and civic life together…in which mutual affection and love are possible.
The source of that desire may very well come from the heart of our civic traditions. But for Christians, it especially comes from Christ.
Christ knows our fickle and captive hearts. He calls us together into Christian community…where there is the possibility that we can rise into our better selves, at least some of the time.
And Christ may also call us…in the midst of Christian marriage…where more of the same can happen over time.
Christ calls us out of any isolation which may let sin fester within us…disrupting our souls…and then disrupting our civic life.
It is Christ who endlessly calls to us. And it is Christ who says:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
And…that…is always the place to begin again.
