Mark 8:27-38
Proper 19 / Year B
So, I can sense you
want to hear another story about one of my ancestors. Can I get an ‘Amen’! Mary Wright, another grandparent from twelve
generations back, was born in Boston in 1642.
She and two sisters – Lydia and Hannah – are raised in a Quaker family,
which at some point early in her life moves to Oyster Bay, NY, undoubtedly motivated
by the fact Boston is governed by Puritans who did not take kindly to those of
the Quaker persuasion.
Here is one
example. In 1660, Mary Dyer, a mother of
six, is hanged from an elm tree in Boston Common after being convicted in a
civil court of being a Quaker. Incensed
by this act this, Mary Wright, just 18 at the time, travels to Boston by
herself to demonstrate. She is
immediately banished, yet continues to preach.
She returns to Boston with several Quakers from Salem and all are
immediately thrown into jail.
Mary’s two sisters
also make trips to Boston over the course of the next decade. By then King Charles II has outlawed the
hanging of Quakers, but a new statute on the books calls for Quakers to be
stripped to the waist, tied to the back of a cart, and whipped from town to
town until they are driven out of the colony.
While Hannah and Lydia avoid such a fate, not all of their colleagues are
as fortunate. There is a transcript of
Lydia’s trail where the governor, a magistrate, are several other worthies interrogate
her about her religious beliefs and practices.
It is chilling to read how faith and the power of the state forged
together can be welded to legislate intolerance.
What does it say to
you that the Puritans fled from England because they were persecuted there,
came to Massachusetts in search of religious freedom, and then turned around to
become exactly what they were escaping from in the first place?
This past week
Bishop Susan brought together the clergy of the diocese to discuss a paper which
came out of the House of Bishops last June.
It is a theological response to a rise in Christian Nationalism in our country. The paper defines Christian Nationalism as an
attempt to define “national identity in terms of membership in a particular
form of Christianity… and it reflects the desire certain groups of Christians
and specific church-based institutions to turn toward the state to protect,
support, and continue the structures to which its members have become so
accustomed.”
Americans hold we are
one nation under God. Many of us, at
some conscious or unconscious level, believe this means one nation under my God.
And my God is shaped by my
story. When my God looks and feels a lot like your God, we craft a powerful common identity. Eventually others join us and we begin to
think in terms of our God. But other people with different stories have
their God who we do not see as being
the same as our God. Christian Nationalism is a movement by one
group of people to use the power of the state to ensure everyone adheres to the
precepts of their God, with the
accompanying purpose to enshrine their privileges and perspectives above those
of others.
Think about the
stories of the New England Puritans and Quakers. Their stories have a lot of similarities. They share a common language and historical
perspective rooted in England. And yet
there is enough dissimilar in their stories that one group obtains legal power
over the other and uses it to enforce its views.
Now think about
what America is today. We are a country
of people whose stories have roots from all over the world. Some of our stories are tales of privilege,
other arise from the experience of persecution.
Some come here hoping to capitalize on superior medical training, others
make a living as a migrant farmer. Our stories vary greatly and yet still this is
our country. Some say this variety has changed the United
States, but I say it has enriched us in the same way every new thread enriches
a tapestry. Can we hear each other’s stories
and find a common ground on which to stand?
This, I think, is the great American challenge of our time.
This morning we
hear Jesus say, “If any want to be my followers…” and right away this should
get our attention. I want to be a
follower of Jesus so what do I need to do?
“Let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In the context of this sermon’s topic, what
does it look like to deny yourself as a citizen rather than to assert
yourself? At the very least it is not my
way or the highway. It looks more like listening to rather than shouting at. It looks like seeking and serving Christ in
all persons and respecting the dignity of every human being.
And what does it
mean to pick up your cross and follow Jesus?
Well, it is something very different than pick up your sword and
fight. It certainly isn’t a directive to
get on social media and call people names.
And it most definitely is not voting for candidate X or candidate
Y. It has something to do with laying
aside your rights and privileges in order for the power of God to work in and
through you.
I wonder if Jesus
would say to those who seek to institute Christian Nationalism, “Those who want
to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and
for the sake of the gospel, will save it”?
It is at least something to consider if you want to be a follower of
Jesus.
To read the letter from the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops click here: Responding_to_Christian_Nationalism_in_the_21st_Century.pdf (mcusercontent.com)
