HAPPY DEPENDENCE DAY!

July 3, 2022
4^th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Kgs. 5:1-14: Ps. 30; Gal.6:1-18; Lk. 10:1-20
Rev. Denise Clark-Jones

On this Sunday of July 4^th weekend, tomorrow being the official Independence Day, our scripture readings direct us to reflect on the relationship between “independence” and the Christian gospel. With the recent Supreme Court decision which erodes the Founding Fathers’ separation of church and state, we are challenged to examine both their motivations and our own. What makes us proud to be Americans? Given the bible’s uplifting humility as a virtue, is being a proud Christian an oxymoron?

We heard in our reading from the Old Testament about Naaman, who appeared to have a lot to be proud of –power, prestige, popularity, and wealth. Then, out of the blue – as illness usually comes — he was struck by leprosy. Disease is the great equalizer. Lying in a hospital bed, stripped of our pride and our clothes, we all become members of the community of the diseased and disabled, which we fear. In biblical times leprosy, which was the name given to a variety of chronic skin diseases, isolated its victims from the rest of society. Once hailed by adoring crowds as he paraded on one of his fine steeds, Naaman became a pariah in his own community. Even with enough money to hire the best doctors, he was powerless in his search for a cure.

The God he did not believe in led Naaman to his cure, working through people he would have previously had little regard for. Two kings, one Aramaic and one an Israelite were too proud to help him. Each of these kings was more concerned with their own well-being and ego than Naaman’s suffering. But two slaves, again one Aramaic and one an Israelite gave Naaman the idea of seeking a cure from Elisha and encouraged him when he doubted. Before being humbled by his affliction, Naaman would have deemed these two slaves as having nothing for which to be proud. Yet these two slaves, who had nothing to gain from helping Naaman, acted with compassion for his suffering. Though the treatment that finally cured him was simple, getting Naaman to the treatment was difficult. Naaman had another disease, which wasn’t as easy to heal as his leprosy. The affliction I’m talking about is one that we all see in others, but rarely ourselves. This affliction is pride.

In the Bible and our Reformed theology, pride is most often used to describe the catalyst for negative behavior. But pride is not, necessary evil. Pride can be positive in that it can encourage us to be the best we can. But pride can also lead us to arrogance and denigrating others. Pride becomes hubris when we overstate our own importance or accomplishments, take credit for others’ work, become hostile when anyone questions our actions or opinions, or bully others. When groups who have not been treated with the dignity and care, that all God’s children are meant to have, the term, “pride,” refers not to exceptionalism but an affirmation of their value and personhood that has been denied in society. Such a case being the “Pride Marches” of the LGBTQ community we witnessed across the country.

Patriotism, pride in our country, can be good if it causes us to do our best for the common good of our country. We saw an example this week when White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, explained why she deemed the actions of her superiors unpatriotic and un-American on January 6, 2021. In her words, they put preserving their own political and personal power over the common good of the people and our democracy. A misguided foundation for patriotism can become nationalistic hubris when the freedoms that have made our country exceptional draws rigid, hostile borders between nations and within our own society. We ask our political leaders, our military personnel, and our judicial authorities to pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, which was written and has been amended for the common good, rather than for one person or party. As Christians, we affirm, in our creeds, that our ultimate obedience is to God, not our nation. The great contemporary preacher Barbara Brown Taylor has observed:

“Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion, which is always a deadly mix. Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and who are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware those who cannot tell God’s will from their own. Temple police are always a bad sign. When chaplains start wearing guns and hanging out at the sheriff’s office, watch out. Someone is about to have no king but Caesar.”

In my childhood, during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights years, I saw banners, signs, and bumper stickers with the slogan: “My country, love it or leave it” and “My country, right or wrong!” This is not patriotism, but an example of nationalistic hubris. The underlying message was: ‘Do not question the actions of my government. Whatever my government is doing, it is completely justified in doing so, if its actions agree with my opinions.  If my country’s government does not give you the same rights I have, you don’t deserve them and are, thus, a second-class citizen.’ At the time that group included women, people of color, immigrants, disabled people, and non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people. Reform is not an option with this narrow, exclusive view of patriotism. Neither is love or compassion.

Regarding the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “No work of man is perfect. It is inevitable that, in the course of time, the imperfections of a written Constitution will become apparent. Moreover, the passage of time will bring changes in society which a constitution must accommodate if it is to remain suitable for the nation.” The idea of being “originalists” in constitutional interpretation is, inherently, contradictory to the authors’ intentions. It is well and good that our Constitution has been amended because at the time the Constitution was written, only white males who were affluent enough to own land were allowed to vote. When freedom for some denies freedoms for all, that is not a free society. When rights are demanded but responsibilities ignored, community breaks down.

The prophetic literature of the Old Testament attests to God’s judgment of a nation being based on how well it treats the most vulnerable in its society – ‘the widows, orphans, immigrants, the disabled’. In terms of the political policies a nation enacts, President Franklin Roosevelt stated: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” Claiming to protect the freedom of the Christian religion, if it is not backed up by actions modeled by Christ, is meaningless, or at its worst, oppressive arrogance.

You will not find the word, independence, in the bible. From the beginning to the end, the bible supports dependence on God and interdependence with other people and God’s creation. Our country desired freedom from Great Britain’s government, which was exploiting the colonies’ resources to fund their wars on the continent. Sadly, the colonists used the same tactic, and worse, on the native peoples already living here. The colonists’ freedoms were denied the freedom of Native Americans. We are now challenged to understand our country has historically denied us many of the freedoms we demand for ourselves.

Independence has come to be the greatest virtue in our society. But when the Apostle Paul talks about the fruits of the spirit, independence is not included. Last week we heard Paul’s list of “the desires of the flesh,” meaning self-centered, worldly yearnings. In his accompanying list of “fruits of the Spirit,” are virtues that nurture relationships and community. If we are honest in our examination of our independence, we usually find that we have been far more dependent on others than we choose to admit. It would be well to remember those that have helped us by their “fruits of the Spirit,” as well as the unmerited opportunities and privileges we may have received.

When Jesus sent out seventy-two elders to spread his message about the kingdom of God, he insisted they take nothing with them, making them dependent on others for their survival. By doing this, the recipients of their ministry had the opportunity to share their resources with the evangelists. This encouraged mutual respect. We are tempted to be prideful of our charity. Jesus encouraged interdependence. When these disciples reported to Jesus: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” ¹⁸He said to them, “¹⁹See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” With these words Jesus warned against the temptations of pride. He did not want them to attribute their success in healing to their abilities alone. He did not want them to count the numbers of people they helped, like the evangelists who boast about the number of people they convert merely to inflate their own egos. Jesus reminded the disciples of what was of eternal significance – their participation in bringing the kingdom of God to the world.

This week, we have read the conclusion of Paul’s letter. When Paul said: “You reap what you sow,” he was referring to following one’s worldly desires rather than the Holy Spirit. For Paul, true freedom was opening oneself to the promptings of the Holy Spirit rather than merely following an ancient law or tradition to the letter, with no regard to the spirit of the law. In his letter, Paul was chastising Jewish Christian members who insisted gentile Christians be circumcised and follow Jewish law. For these members, circumcision became the most important identifying mark of a Christ-follower. In place of circumcision, we might place other identifying characteristics such as political party, stance on abortion, or sexual orientation. These imposed qualifications lead to hubris, arrogance and division. I think of the Nancy Pelosi’s bishop in San Francisco who refused to serve her communion. ‘When she recently visited the Vatican, Pope Francis did serve her communion. I can’t help but think the Pope was following Paul in ‘gently correcting’ the bishop’s spiritual arrogance who denied Pelosi a seat at the table which is Christ’s not his.

Some of these Jewish Christians in the Galatian congregation believed if they merely followed the literal interpretation of the law, they were free to do whatever they wanted. With our freedom from the external demands of the Law, Paul insisted we have the responsibility to care for one another. We are dependent on God for all good gifts. We acknowledge our dependence on God and show our gratitude by caring for all of God’s children. God created a world that is interdependent. If we have the fruits of the Spirit, our desires become motivated by service to others rather than our self-centered desires. The message Paul learned from being schooled in the teachings of Christ was that the spirit of the law is always rooted in love – love for God and love for one another.

When we hear Paul’s words: “Bear one another’s burdens,” we usually think of helping others in times of hardship.  But in his letter to the Galatian congregation, he’s talking specifically about a situation in which a member, or group of members, of the community has let their own selfishness and foolishness harm the whole community. In this situation the whole community suffers because of one person or one group of people’s actions. It takes compassion, love for neighbor, to help the offender rectify the damage they have done. This is what we need to do in our communities, instead of saying: I didn’t create this problem, so I’m not going to inconvenience myself to help my community or my country. The Christian approach is: People are hurting, what can I do to help?

When we come to the Lord’s Table, we acknowledge that we share equally with our brothers and sisters in the need for that which sustains life and brings peace. We all hunger and yearn to be fed, either with actual bread or spiritual bread. As Jesus ate with all who would eat with him, when we come to the table, we remove our pride of being more worthy than others and we release our fears that separate us. As Jesus sent out the elders two by two, we come to the table knowing that we are not alone but are accompanied in our Christian life and vocation with the sisters and brothers with whom we share the feast our Lord has prepared for us. We serve each other with our physical presence in worship and at the Lord’s table. When we come to the table, we celebrate our dependence on God who is our creator and ultimate authority and whose love is steadfast. We also celebrate our interdependence with one another, each a beloved child of God. We celebrate America’s Independence Day tomorrow, but every day we must celebrate our Dependence Day giving all glory to God.

Amen. May it be so!

© Rev. Denise Clark-Jones, 2022, All Rights Reserved
Westminster Presbyterian Church | 1420 W. Moss Ave. | Peoria, Illinois 61606
WestminsterPeoria.org  | 309.673.8501

“What goes through your mind as you sit in the sanctuary and look around?

As I sit in my pew and look up at the cross with the wonderful light illuminating it, I am reminded of why I am at Westminster on this particular day. The cross reminds me that Christ died for me and, in a sense, I am to do the same in my daily life. The brightness of the cross illustrates for me the brightness of living my life in the way of Christ.”