Saturday, July 3, 2010

to pledge allegiance

CProper9 2010 07 04
Pentecost6

Psalm 66: 1-8
1 Be joyful in God, all you lands;*
sing the glory of his name;
sing the glory of his praise.
2 Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!*
because of your great strength
your enemies cringe before you.
3 ‘All the earth bows down before you,*
sings to you, sings out your name.’
4 Come now and see the works of God,*
how wonderful he is in his doing towards all people.
5 He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot,*
and there we rejoiced in him.
6 In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations;*
let no rebel rise up against him.
7 Bless our God, you peoples;*
make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8 Who holds our souls in life,*
and will not allow our feet to slip.

In the name of God, source of all being, eternal word, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

On the summer lake in the early morning dew I would row out toward the flagpole. The sun was rising over the peaks of the sierra and the Boy Scout camp was just waking up. Often as I approached the flagpole, standing in six feet of water about a hundred yards from shore, the sound of a trumpet wafted across the lake: “Summertime” by George Gershwin. Once I reached the flagpole I would un-cleat the line and clip on the flag, then raise it slowly, hand over hand, until it reached the pulley at the top. Gently snugged, but not jammed, it would stay there all day until taps, when it would come down again.

It was like something out of Reader’s Digest.

It was my early morning routine for five or six weeks when I was a counselor at camp.

It was a good thing to do.

Remembering the flag, taking care of the flag, unfolding the flag in the morning and folding it in the evening, putting it away for the night.

Remembering what it stood for.

America.

America, and all that it meant to me. To us. Liberty.

There it was.

And it was a good thing.

Let me tell you about a better thing, something that makes everything better – better than it would be on its own.

Remember the one who wanted to follow Jesus, but first, he said, let me go and bury my father. Let the dead bury their own dead, said Jesus; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

It is a good and sacred thing, a duty, to bury the dead. That is the point. Jesus was not belittling the effort, he was putting it in right perspective.

What he said he said because it is a good and sacred thing, a great thing, to honor one’s parents. And yet –

There is a greater duty that puts everything into perspective.

That is the duty to God. That is the ultimate allegiance.

Before beyond behind and above every other duty, every other allegiance, is the call of God.

It is not disloyal to put God first, even before so sacred a duty as to honor your parents.

It puts it all into perspective and gives it real meaning, full-color meaning, where before it was just black-and-white.

That is how urgent it is, and how important it is, to proclaim the kingdom of God.

Jesus sent out 70 disciples ahead of him, going in advance to prepare the way, because of the urgency of the message. There was nothing more important.

They were to travel fast and travel light. Get that extra stuff out of your pack.

They were to count on the Middle Eastern tradition of hospitality – that someone would offer them a place to stay and food to eat – and they were not to abuse it. Stay there, he said, and don’t shop around for a better billet.

Go and offer a greeting: Shalom. Peace. The peace of God rest on this place.

Tell them, “The kingdom of heaven has come near to you.” It is right at hand, close by.

Warn them. The time is short. GO.

Break bread with them, spread the news. And then, let go. Let it go.

Do your work as if everything depended on you, and then leave the rest to God.

If they welcome you, well and good. If they do not, move on.

In either case, let them know it: the Kingdom of God is at hand.

That is what matters more than anything, more than success or failure.

Give them the message, tell them the news. The good news:

The good news is this: God is come into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, to save humankind from its sins and to lead humankind into the kingdom of heaven. We are called to his supper. Rejoice! Rejoice and be glad. For the Lord is calling you.

Jesus sent 70 that day – as many as the elders Moses drafted to help him with the people of Israel, as many as the Gentile nations in Genesis. A goodly number – but there are more messengers than that. There are some of them here today – you and I – 73, 74, 75…

We are called to go out and spread the news. Rejoice not in your success in telling it, but in spreading it – rejoice that your names are in the book of life, rejoice in the coming of the holy one into your lives and the lives of the people you greet in his name. Shalom!

Jesus is coming – he is coming to set us free, to live in our hearts, and to lead us into right relationships with our neighbors, ourselves, our God.

Tell the good news, live the good news.

…and all will be well, all will be well, all will be well indeed.

When we baptize a new member into the body of Christ, the family of God, the Church, we are welcoming them into the kingdom of Christ, and we are joining them in covenant.

The covenant, the solemn compact, is to follow Christ – before all else, and all else will make sense if he is Lord over all. Let everybody know: the reign of God has come close to them – and to you.

We will take that message into our lives, be transformed by it, and carry it to the world.

Jesus, Savior, Messiah:
May we live by faith,
walk in hope and be renewed in love,
until the world reflects your glory
and you are all in all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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