Restoration

 

Psalm 85:3:8-13

Proper 10 / Year B

This morning we recited a portion of the beautiful 85^th psalm in response to the first reading.  Scholars tell us people returning to Israel from exile in Babylon chanted it on the long journey home.  The first half of the psalm was not assigned to be read, but here is the first verse:

You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *

  you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.

The remainder of what we did not read is a kind of confessional – an admission the sufferings they experienced were a direct result of their willful disobedience.  But, as the psalm asserts, this is a new day and the Lord is speaking a new word of hope and peace.

“You have restored our good fortune.”  If, on this Sunday in 2020 you would have told me we would be worshipping in this place together as naturally as ever, I would not have believed it.  Mired in the pandemic with everything about life put on hold – all those things we used to take for granted – very few of us thought things would ever return to normal, but they have.  Thanks be to God.

1920 was a presidential election year in our country.  At the time the average American’s outlook was pretty bleak.  The previous four years had seen the horrors of World War I, a global influenza pandemic, race riots, labor strikes, domestic terrorism, widespread unemployment, and crippling inflation.  We were deeply divided about joining the League of Nations and troubled by the Russian Revolution.  Technological advances, such as the introduction of the radio, began to change the way people garnered information and exposed society to a cacophony of new and sometimes confusing voices. Over 40 tornados stuck our country on Palm Sunday that spring, killing over 380 people from Georgia to Wisconsin.  And, as if this pile of sludge needed a cherry on top, in 1919 the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series.  The more things change…

Into this moment stepped a politician from Marion, Ohio – Warren G. Harding.  In a speech in Boston on May 14, 1920, Harding described how all the country had been through effected it:

Poise has been disturbed and nerves have been racked, and fever has rendered men irrational.

Then he expressed what would become the core of his platform for a presidential campaign:

America’s present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration.

Harding’s campaign slogan, “A Return to Normalcy”, resonated with a weary electorate and he won in a landslide.  Historians debate why the country didn’t return to normal after this.  Most cite several scandals which rocked the Harding administration and the fact he died after only three years in office.

The 85^th psalm might offer additional insight.  It links restoration not so much to a change in external factors – i.e. things getting back to the way they used to be – but with inner transformation – a change in the heart which allows a person and a people to engage the world and one another in a new and healthier way.

Mercy and truth have met together; *

  righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace can be a part of a legislative agenda to be sure, but that legislation will take us only so far if it is not first rooted in our soul.  Only when these qualities “meet”, “kiss”, “look down”, and “spring up” in us can restoration on a societal level begin.

This past week I came across something called “The Humanist’s 10 Commandments”.  Here they are:

Altruism – I will help others in need without hoping for rewards.

Critical Thinking – I will practice good judgment by asking questions and thinking for myself.

Empathy – I will consider other people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Environmentalism – I will take care of the Earth and life on it.

Ethical Development – I will focus on becoming a better person.

Global Awareness – I will be a good neighbor to the people who share the Earth with me and help make the world a better place for everyone.

Humility – I will be aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of others.

Peace and Social Justice – I will help people solve problems and handle disagreements in ways that are fair for everyone.

Responsibility – I will be a good person – even when no one is looking – and own the consequences of my actions.

Service and Participation – I will help my community in ways that let me get to know the people I am helping.

I like these statements.  They pair well with promises we make in our Baptismal Covenant, but there is one significant way they are not in sync with our vows.  They are not rooted in obedience to God and a desire to reflect God’s essential Being through our actions.  They are not put forward as an expression of God’s dream for all people.  Short of this, they are just 10 nice ideas. 

It seems to me presidential campaigns come down to two messages.  The party out of office want to return to a better time.  The party in office wants to build on the good work already underway.  In their own way, each is trying to restore the fortunes of the people.  If history teaches us anything it is this: political leadership alone will not restore us.  For this to happen there has to be a change of heart.