King of the Mountain

King of the Mountain

A sermon by

Dr. Philip W. McLarty

Isaiah 2:1-5

SERMON: King of the Mountain

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, today marks the beginning of a new Christian year. Starting today we have the privilege of telling the story of salvation in Jesus Christ all over again – from the prophecy foretelling the coming of the Messiah, to Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, to his life and ministry in Galilee, to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, to his passion and death on the hill of Golgatha, to his resurrection from the dead, to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, to the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, and finally, to the enthronement, where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty as King of kings and Lord of lords.
This should come as no surprise. Mountains play a big part in Biblical history. Noah's Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat (Gen. 8:4). God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai (Exod. 19-20). Abraham offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God on Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22). Elijah confounded the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). The list goes on. In the New Testament Jesus often went up to the mountain to pray. The transfiguration occurred on Mt. Hermon (Mt. 17), and it was on Mt. Calvary that he died.
Robert Glendinning writes: "(In ancient civilizations) primitive people often viewed mountains as the abiding places of the gods." This is why, in the Bible, mountains are associated with places of worship. They speak of the awe and majesty of God.
Even today we hold a special reverence for the mountains. When I lived out in West Texas, I used go to up to Fort Davis just to walk around in the Davis Mountains and breathe the fresh mountain air. Tracy and I love to go to Ruidoso, New Mexico every chance we get.
Through the years, people of faith have seen a connection between the majesty of the mountains and the sovereignty of God. Little wonder the people of Israel built their holy temple high atop Mt. Zion.
But they weren't the only ones to have holy mountains, and this is where the problem begins. The Samaritans, for example, worshiped on Mount Gerazim. This is what the woman at the well was getting at when she told Jesus,
"Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." (John 4:20)
In the Old Testament, even the worshipers of Baal erected shrines on top of the mountains of Judea. This is the background for Psalm 121, where it says,
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth." (Psalms 121:1-2)
With all these holy mountains came the inevitable conflict over whose mountain represented the true dwelling place of God. Of course, that was a long time ago. The question is, has anything changed?
Today Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca; the Jews, to Jerusalem; the Hindus, to the Ganges River. The Catholics have the Vatican; the Mormons, Salt Lake City; and the Methodists and the Baptists compete over Nashville, Tennessee! Where can we find signs of convergence upon the mountain of the house of the Lord?
The National Council of Churches in this country and the World Council of Churches internationally are our most visible attempts of "ecumenism" (Christian unity), but they get mixed reviews, and they're poorly supported by the rank and file members of the participating churches.
In 1965, the major denominations of the Christian faith formed an ecumenical group called "COCU" – an acronym for the Consultation on Church Union. The goal was to explore matters of faith on which we all agree. That was some forty years ago, and we're still looking!
So, what do you think? Will there ever come a day when all the various denominations of the Christian faith (much less, the other religions of the world) come together in common communion with God and each other?
Why not? What stands in the way? I suspect that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome if we're ever going to agree on anything of substance is our own pride. The first church I ever served was in a small, rural town in North Texas. We had three churches: Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian. They all struggled to make ends meet. One day a member of my church came up with a bright idea. (In case you didn't know this, I was Methodist at the time.) "Why don't we combine the three churches into one church?" he asked. "We all know each other. We're neighbors. We work together on civic projects. Our kids all go to the same school. Why don't we worship together as one big happy family? We're all Christian, aren't we?" "That's a great idea," I said. "Just out of curiosity, what would you propose to call this new church?" He smiled and said, "Why, Methodist, of course!"
What separates us from each other, doctrinal differences or competing egos? What are the really important matters of faith? Does God care, for example, whether we say "debts" or "trespasses" in the Lord's Prayer; whether we baptize by sprinkling or immersion; whether we use the right liturgical colors?
God doesn't care, but we care, and that's the point.

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When I was growing up, one of our favorite games was called, "King of the Mountain." One of the neighbors would have a dump truck load of dirt delivered and, before it got spread, we'd play on it, digging tunnels and building bridges and driving our toy cars and trucks over it. Then someone would stand on the top of the mound of dirt and announce that he was "king of the mountain." It was an open invitation for the rest of us to try to throw him off. When the king of the mountain was toppled from his summit, another would take his place, and another, until finally we were too tired to struggle any longer.
Well, sometimes I think church folks spend more time playing "king of the mountain" than following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
And this is the point Isaiah makes perfectly clear: The kingdom of God will come upon the earth when all the various peoples of the world – including us – are willing to give up their desire to be Number One and surrender their wills to God's good and perfect will for all humankind. He says,
"For out of Zion the law shall go forth… He will judge between the nations… and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
Only as we pledge our allegiance to God over all else will we ever be able to convert our implements of war into instruments of peace and be reconciled to each other.
So, how is that possible? Doesn't it still depend on who's king of the mountain?
This is where the gospel lesson comes in, for Jesus told the woman at the well:
"Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father…But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:21-24)
The upshot of it all is this: It's not our mountain or their mountain, whoever they might be – it's God's mountain, and God has revealed the nature of his mountain in his son Jesus Christ. In him we see that God's mountain is a mountain characterized not by power and might, but by humility and self-surrender. Paul said it best,
"…who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:6-8)
Jesus' life was a portrait of self-surrender, and this is what he taught his disciples:
"If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it." (Luke 9:23-24)
It's a paradox; yet, it's true: The more we're willing to give up our egotistical nature and lose ourselves in serving others, the more God is able to use us as instruments of his peace and love.
Here's another way of looking at it: In western culture our symbol for strength is the rock. "He's strong as a rock," we say. TV ads tell us that "Chevy trucks are built like a rock." Prudential Insurance is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. Sports fans chant, "We will, we will rock you!" Our symbol for strength is the rock.
But in eastern culture, the symbol for strength is water. And at first, this seems odd. Water is placid and yielding and adaptive. It follows the path of least resistance. It seeks the lowest common level. At first blush water is anything but a symbol of strength. But then, look at its effects: Over time, water can carve out a vast canyon, erode a hillside and crack open a boulder of solid granite.
So, which is stronger, rock or water? It's pretty obvious. In the same manner, which is more Christ-like, one who is determined to have his own way or one who's willing tosing God's praise in whatever language the people understand?
Isaiah promised that, when the Messiah comes, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the highest of the mountains. As Christians, we believe the Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ. In him, we see a new way of living, a way in which we're able to exert influence and power not by dominating others, but by serving them in his name. And so, we sing this hymn with Christians far and wide,
"Christ brings God's rule, O Zion; he comes from heaven above. His rule is peace and freedom, and justice, truth and love. Lift high your praise resounding, for grace and joy abounding. O blest is Christ that came in God's most holy name." (Presbyterian Hymnal, p. 13)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Copyright 2004, Philip W. McLarty. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.

Science at Panamerican Insitute

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Panamerican Institute Mexico

May 28 (2 days ago)

to Linda

Hello!
I want to share with you that last Friday May 22, we had our school's annual Science Fair when 25 Science projects were presented. Attached are pictures of that "learning the fun way day", which ended with a Science rally.(Picture 1)
First prize was earned by the team who built a hydraulic robot (pictures 2 & 3), second prize was won by the team who built a solar lamp (Picture 4).
Sponsors were very generous and provided t-shirts and all prizes.
Another accomplishment was that our second year students competed on May 21 in the State Physics Contest in Ensenada, two of them earned their pass to compete at the National Contest next week.
Once our Physics teacher, Ivan Flores, was in Ensenada, he received the two bronze medals from Mexico City for our students who won last year the National Physics contest. (Picture 5) I am so excited because we have girls and boys wining!
Thank you so much for being part of our efforts to provide this kids the opportunity to excel.

If you want to be informed of our school's activities, please visit us at www.paischool.org.

 Con cariño,
Juana Santos

Panamerican Institute
P. O. Box 433872
San Ysidro, CA 92143

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Liberation Theology -- Without Marx

Weekend Roundup: Pope Francis Resurrects Liberation Theology -- Without Marx

If communism is "The God That Failed," liberation theology is the gospel that has succeeded. Marx may be dead, but the cause of the poor and oppressed has been resurrected.

This is the message the Argentine pope, Francis, sent by canonizing Oscar Romero, reversing decades of conservative opposition in the church hierarchy and setting the El Salvadoran archbishop on the road to sainthood. Romero was gunned down at the altar in 1980 by a right-wing death squad that regarded him as a dangerous Marxist because of his activism on behalf of the poor.

As Paul Vallely writes, Romero is an exemplar for Francis. Both are "orthodox and yet utterly radical." Romero is "a priest whose life stands in testament to the kind of Catholicism preferred by a pope who declared within days of his election that he wanted 'a poor Church for the poor.'"

In our Fusion series this week, illustrated with striking street murals, a gang leader says El Salvador still has lots to learn from the example of the martyred archbishop.

Refugees fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe or from the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, especially Christians, have also been a focus of the pope's concerns. This week, Asia became the focal point of the asylum crisis, where thousands of Muslim Rohingya who have fled persecution in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar are desperately seeking refuge. Writing from Sydney, Elliott Brennan sees a parallel with the "boat people" crisis after the end of the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s, and calls on the ASEAN nations to embrace an emergency response similar to the EU's for the Mediterranean. Mehdi Hasan says that the silence of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for championing human right in Myanmar, is inexcusable, a sentiment echoed by one of the great spiritual leaders of the East, the Dalai Lama. World editor Charlotte Alfred also reports that the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unleashed a heartless tirade against the migrants, calling them "mentally sick."

In Africa, the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy worries that the escalating conflict in Burundi could be another Rwanda-type genocide in the making. World editor Nick Robins-Early talks to Middle East expert Emile Hokayem about the resentment among many Shia in Iraq who feel their militias are being used as "cannon fodder" in the fight against ISIS.

Europe is also entering an unsettling summer. Writing from Athens, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis continues to insist that "austerity is a deal-breaker" in any agreement with its creditors. As HuffPost Spain editor Montserrat Dominguez writes from Madrid, austerity policies there have also fractured the body politic, casting the two main parties from their dominant position in key municipal elections. Meanwhile, Alan Posener writes from Berlin that Germany's political class is "willing to ride the tiger of German anger toward the Americans" for partisan advantage as new revelations implicate its own intelligence services in spying. In our "Forgotten Fact" this week, we examine how public opinion pressure to recognize same sex marriages is growing in Italy now that predominantly Catholic Ireland has done so. Columbia law professor Georges Ugeux asks whether the recent U.K. election will prompt Europe to re-examine some key elements of its union -- including immigrant quotas and the power of national parliaments.

Ahead of Turkey's own election, WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones reports from Istanbul on why the upcoming vote could determine Erdogan's political destiny.

Writing from New Delhi, Shashi Tharoor scores Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first year in office, saying he has yet to distance himself from the "bigotry" of his Hindu fundamentalist party toward non-Hindu minorities. In another assessment, Aditya Karkera calls Modi "a flawed messiah" but "a great capitalist." Writing from Mumbai, Pavan Lall describes how the Foundation for Ecological Security is restoring denuded hillsides to grow sustainable crops in impoverished areas.

One of China's leading foreign policy voices, Fu Ying, asks whether her country's choice is either "to submit to the U.S. or challenge it" and calls on American and Chinese youth of the "post-90s" generation to be "more open and more ready to understand each other." WorldPost China Correspondent Matt Sheehan reports that, in a new poll, 78 percent of American students who studied in China "left with a more positive impression than when they arrived."

In an essay this week, I sum up the new state of mind in California, where Gov. Jerry Brown's frugal "era of limits" philosophy is restraining the budget, water usage and climate-altering carbon gases, convergent technologies are being cultivated and Latinos and Asians are coming to dominate the state's population.

Our Singularity University series this week looks at how the urge to play is behind the drive to innovate in Silicon Valley. Finally, our photo essays this week portray celebrations in Ireland over the same sex marriage victory, the searing heat wave in India and the majestic scenery in Bolivia.

WHO WE ARE

EDITORS: Nathan Gardels, Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute on Governance and the long-time editor of NPQ and the Global Viewpoint Network of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate/Tribune Media, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. Farah Mohamed is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. Kathleen Miles is the Senior Editor of the WorldPost. Alex Gardels and Peter Mellgard are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. Katie Nelson is the National Editor at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's editorial coverage. Eline Gordts is HuffPost's Senior World Editor. Charlotte Alfred and Nick Robins-Early are Associate World Editors.

CORRESPONDENTS: Sophia Jones in Istanbul; Matt Sheehan in Beijing.

EDITORIAL BOARD: Nicolas Berggruen, Nathan Gardels, Arianna Huffington, Eric Schmidt (Google Inc.), Pierre Omidyar (First Look Media) Juan Luis Cebrian (El Pais/PRISA), Walter Isaacson (Aspen Institute/TIME-CNN), John Elkann (Corriere della Sera, La Stampa), Wadah Khanfar (Al Jazeera), Dileep Padgaonkar (Times of India) and Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Shimbun).

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Moises Naim (former editor of Foreign Policy), Nayan Chanda (Yale/Global; Far Eastern Economic Review) and Katherine Keating (One-On-One). Sergio Munoz Bata and Parag Khanna are Contributing Editors-At-Large.

The Asia Society and its ChinaFile, edited by Orville Schell, is our primary partner on Asia coverage. Eric X. Li and the Chunqiu Institute/Fudan University in Shanghai and Guancha.cn also provide first person voices from China. We also draw on the content of China Digital Times. Seung-yoon Lee is The WorldPost link in South Korea.

Jared Cohen of Google Ideas provides regular commentary from young thinkers, leaders and activists around the globe. Bruce Mau provides regular columns from MassiveChangeNetwork.com on the "whole mind" way of thinking. Patrick Soon-Shiong is Contributing Editor for Health and Medicine.

ADVISORY COUNCIL: Members of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and Council for the Future of Europe serve as the Advisory Council -- as well as regular contributors -- to the site. These include, Jacques Attali, Shaukat Aziz, Gordon Brown, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Luis Cebrian, Jack Dorsey, Mohamed El-Erian, Francis Fukuyama, Felipe Gonzalez, John Gray, Reid Hoffman, Fred Hu, Mo Ibrahim, Alexei Kudrin, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Alain Minc, Dambisa Moyo, Laura Tyson, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, Raghuram Rajan, Nouriel Roubini, Nicolas Sarkozy, Eric Schmidt, Gerhard Schroeder, Peter Schwartz, Amartya Sen, Jeff Skoll, Michael Spence, Joe Stiglitz, Larry Summers, Wu Jianmin, George Yeo, Fareed Zakaria, Ernesto Zedillo, Ahmed Zewail, and Zheng Bijian.

From the Europe group, these include: Marek Belka, Tony Blair, Jacques Delors, Niall Ferguson, Anthony Giddens, Otmar Issing, Mario Monti, Robert Mundell, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt.

MISSION STATEMENT

The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets.

We not only deliver breaking news from the best sources with original reportage on the ground and user-generated content; we bring the best minds and most authoritative as well as fresh and new voices together to make sense of events from a global perspective looking around, not a national perspective looking out

Spirit for All

May 24, 2015
Written by Kathryn Matthews Huey

Sunday, May 24
Pentecost Sunday

Focus Theme
Spirit for All

Weekly Prayer
Creator Spirit and Giver of life, make the dry, bleached bones of our lives live and breathe and grow again as you did of old. Pour out your Spirit upon the whole creation. Come in rushing wind and flashing fire to turn the sin and sorrow within us into faith, power, and delight. Amen.

Focus Reading
Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabsóin our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

All Readings For This Sunday
Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Focus Questions

1. Have you ever had Peter's experience, of interpreting the present moment in your life through the lens of Scripture, rather than the other way around?

2. What are the "languages" that may divide the folks in your church, or at least make unity more difficult to achieve?

3. What have been experiences of deep unity, across differences? How do our differences actually enrich and enliven what we share?

4. What events and experiences have made us cower, have made us confused?

5. Which of our conventions could stand a little bursting, or a lot? Do we feel like we are "new wine," ready to burst old wineskins?

Reflection by Kate Matthews (Huey)

Our psalm reading for this Pentecost Sunday speaks of God sending forth God's Spirit in a creative burst that is both productive and renewing. In our story from the Acts of the Apostles, it must have felt like creation all over again, with wind and fire, and something new bursting forth. Then there was the amazing linguistic experience of speaking in other languages yet being understood by people of many different languages and lands, the names of which represented the known world at that time and have caused no small concern to worship leaders in every time. No matter: in that moment, all the people were one in their hearing, if not their understanding of the deeper meaning of what they heard. Despite their differences, they could all hear what the disciples were saying, each in their own language.

Fire, wind, and humble Galileans speaking persuasively in many tongues were dramatic signs that God was doing a new thing that would transform the lives of all those present, and far beyond, in time and place. Maybe it was a little frightening, something people would want to explain away, or contain with comments that blamed it all on drunkenness.

There have been manifestations, remarkable displays of God's Spirit in the Bible before, of course, with sound and light and amazing "special effects," as we call them today. But those events, like Moses on the mountaintop and Jesus transfigured, were reserved for only a few witnesses, the most inside of insiders. Here, at the dawn of a new era, on the birthday of a church called to spread to the ends of the earth, the display is for all. Not only the disciples, gathered in a room, getting themselves together after Jesus is once again departed. Not only the holiest or the most faithful or the most learned, not only the believers, not only those who were with Jesus on the road or witnesses to his Resurrection. No, in this case, at this moment, "all flesh," male and female, old and young, slave and free, are invited and included.

And just to make sure that they know they're all included, the formidable obstacle of a multitude of languages is overcome by a sweeping wind and an uplifting Spirit that drives those disciples out, out into the world beyond their walls, beyond the theoretical but fragile safety those walls provide. Out into the world, and compelled to spread the Good News of what God is doing in a new day. On a Jewish feast that celebrated new life and new crops by offering a gift of first fruits in gratitude and praise, these Jewish "ignorant, backwater folks" (a stereotype conveyed by the term "Galileans," but lost to us today as we read the text) become impassioned, eloquent spokespersons for the gift of new life, the beginning of a brand new era in which God is fulfilling promises and salvation draws near.

Joel spoke of a stillspeaking God

This reading is particularly powerful for a church that proclaims wholeheartedly that God is still speaking, and Matthew Skinner makes a case for that claim as he focuses on Peter's alteration of the text from Joel, saying "in the last days" instead of "after these things." In fact, commentators agree in pointing out that Joel was speaking ominously of destruction and death, while Peter speaks of the promise of new life. In Peter's interpretation, Skinner says, Scripture speaks in a new day about "new realities and challenges." Peter, according to Skinner, does what we too need to do today. Right in the midst of these astounding and undoubtedly confusing events, he interprets them as he experiences them, relying on Scripture to help him understand what God is saying in that new day.

Clearly, the crowd is hungry for the word brought by the Spirit-filled disciples, even though some are immediately cynical and scoffing; we are told in later verses that the church expanded from just over one hundred to three thousand in one day. A mega-church is born on a single day! What do you think is the heart of the message that brought so many new believers to the newborn church? What converted, and even transformed, them?

Rooted in the tradition

Imagine what the energy that day felt like for the foreign Jewish visitors in town for the religious festival. This Pentecost experience was in continuity, of course, with the prophetic tradition of the Jewish people. Since the festival of Pentecost happened at the time of spring harvest, we might experience this Pentecost event as a different kind of harvest, yielding life-giving spiritual fruits. Think of the young people who are being confirmed this day in congregations across the United Church of Christ, perhaps in your very own church. They may come from many different places, if not geographically, then in other ways. What do you think that draws them to the church at this time? What are the visions that these young people see, and what are the dreams that the "old" members still dream, dreams that they long to share and build on with the youth? How might their arrival bring a shaking up of the church, as so often happens with the creative and renewing energy of the Spirit?

The same Spirit that drew the little band of disciples out into the world also shaped them into a community. What is the balance in your church like, between reaching out and nurturing the faith life of the community? How do these two impulses relate to each other? In his book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg writes, "The coming of the Spirit is the reversal of Babel, the beginning of the reunion of the human community." In what ways might your church and your community need a "reunion"?

Up-ending the Tower of Babel

Borg's description of this Pentecost that up-ended the Tower of Babel story reminds us that different languages have the power to divide people one from another. In the ancient world, there was a utopian ideal of one universal language, and this story provides an interesting twist on that dream. The Spirit of God has rushed in to empower many different kinds of people to do something astounding--communicate effectively with one another. Bridges were built and crossed in a moment, and the differences among them, instead of dividing, provided startling illustration of just how great the power of God is. Underneath the differences of nationality and language, there was a fundamental unity that was not only touched but enlivened and experienced, profoundly, by many who were there. Others scoffed and interpreted even the most amazing of events through the eyes and ears of cynicism, but those with hearts and minds that were open to the movement of the Spirit knew that a new day had come.

Births are never neat and tidy

Births are rarely neat, tidy, or quiet, even when people or something beautiful is struggling to be born. The birth of the church was no different. The feast of Pentecost--of harvest--is an interesting time to think about pregnancy and birth, and the great crowd of converts is its own kind of harvest and yet leads to even greater possibilities of growth and new life. In addition, the disciples, cowering and confused, experience their own kind of rebirth or transformation by the power of this Spirit who blows into the scene on the rush of a mighty wind, with great noise and even with fire. In this case, fire and wind bring not destruction but new life. As with birth, it may not be quiet or peaceful, but it is exhilarating and good.

As you reflect on this story of the birth of the church, how much does it relate to the life of your church today? How might we reach across so many differences, not only in language and culture but also in religious upbringing, economic class, educational background, and basic personality types, to communicate effectively, to hear what God is still speaking today, bringing us a call that may astound us and gather us into something more effective and more amazing that we were before? What sort of power did--or does--it take to draw us out of our "all together in one place" and send us out with courage and energy to proclaim the good news of the Risen Christ? What loud noises and rushing wind do we require?

The church as refuge and the church that up-ends our assumptions

We are a people no longer easily impressed: in an age of technological wonders, we've come to expect regular improvements in the "stuff" of our lives. (Consider, for example, the improvement in special effects in film. What amazed us twenty years ago looks almost silly today.) It takes more and more to astonish us, and yet astonishing things happen quietly in nature, in communities, in the life of our churches every day, whether we take note or not. It's tempting to prefer a church that's a safe refuge over a place and community where we are astonished and our safe assumptions up-ended. Perhaps we could "hear" our stories "in a whole new light," even if we are all speaking the same language. What is the basic unity that we share, that the people in your congregation and its neighborhood share? What deep spiritual bond brings us together across every kind of barrier and difference? How do we appreciate our differences and yet find that common ground?

Breathing in, breathing out

After all, today's story is another one of those that belongs to all of us, not just to the early Christians. This is our beginning, our "foundational story" of the new life, the New Age of which we are a part (Dennis E. Smith and Michael E. Williams). You can almost feel the wind pulling the folks together from all corners of the known world, and then propelling them back out to share the good news. The harvest festival of Pentecost, which came to remember the giving of the Law at Sinai, now marked the giving of new life and the gift of the church, a new way of living for those who would follow Jesus in every land and in every age. Not just some kinds of people, but all different kinds of people, in all different places, different languages and customs, different cultures and backgrounds and experiences, different abilities and gender and races and orientations, all different kinds of people, beloved of God and filled with God's Spirit, a new creation just as it could and ought to be.

We are the new wine Jesus spoke of!

The Pentecost story is one of the most familiar ones from the days of the early church. But it's easy to pass over the remark about "drunk with new wine" with perhaps only a chuckle, and miss a subtle but important point. Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino makes a wonderful observation: "Peter seems to have forgotten what Jesus once said about new wine that bursts old wineskins (Luke 5:37-38). These new followers of Jesus are not filled with new wine. They are the new wine! Watch them burst the seams of convention." If this story really is our story, too, not just something stupefying that happened long ago and far away, what's holding us back, what's holding us in?

Erik Heen provides a fitting conclusion to our reflection on this text when he reminds us that, from this point forward, the apostles will have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that they do. The church will continue to grow, and while its message "remains the same, its audience becomes radically different." Heen says that the Spirit's guidance will provide both continuity and creativity that links it with the ministry of Jesus and yet leaves it open to adaptation to "the evolving mission field," with both Jews and Gentiles eager to hear the Good News. Heen writes: "Though the narrative of Acts begins in Jerusalem, it ends in Rome!"

The Rev. Kathryn Matthews (Huey) serves as dean of Amistad Chapel at the national offices of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio (https://www.facebook.com/AmistadChapel).

You're invited to share your reflections on this text on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SermonSeeds.

A preaching version of this reflection (with book titles) is at http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_may_24_2015.

For further reflection

N.T. Wright, 21st century
"Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God's new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet."

Adelaide Anne Procter, 19th century
"Dreams grow holy put in action."

African Proverb, Ghana
"If you want to speak to God, tell it to the wind."

Catherine the Great, 18th century
"A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century
"This time, like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it."

Howard Thurman, 20th century
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

L.J. Suenens, 20th century
"I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit."

About Weekly Seeds

Weekly Seeds is a United Church of Christ resource for Bible study based on the readings of the "Lectionary," a plan for weekly Bible readings in public worship used in Protestant, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches throughout the world. When we pray with and study the Bible using the Lectionary, we are praying and studying with millions of others.

You're welcome to use this resource in your congregation's Bible study groups.

Weekly Seeds is a service of Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ. Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Revised Common Lectionary is © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission.

A New Spirit

Sermon,

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-11

A New Spirit

By The Rev. Dr. James D. Kegel

Once upon a time there was a spring of cool, clear and refreshing water found on an open hillside. People would come from miles around to drink from the water and they would go away satisfied. The water was so good that they would tell their friends and neighbors to come and drink. More and more people came and soon there was always a crowd around the fountain. Some people began to complain that they would get sunstroke waiting on hot days or soaked on rainy ones. So a canopy was erected over the fountain. Then some people found it inconvenient to bend over to lift up the water to drink so the fountain spring was encased in stone and drinking faucets provided. More and more people came and the canopy no longer allowed them all in so a permanent building was erected with enough room for as many people as would come and more besides. People began putting pictures on the walls. Others spent much money beautifying the stone building and drinking fountain with gold and jewels. Those who had given much started to demand special rights and privileges to the water and decided to charge others to drink from the fountain. Special guardians and keepers of the fountain with special garments and insignia were called to keep the people orderly and obedient...and soon the focus shifted from the water to the gathering place. People began to forget that there was a fountain at all in the hustle and bustle of the assembly. Then the fountain went dry.
I heard this story at a youth convention and the meaning is obvious for us in the Christian Church. We come together because we have been offered "living water." Yet often in our church life it seems we get something else––politics and factions, emphasis on building or program or personnel, budget maintenance, a self-centered focus rather than outreach, caring for those in need, welcoming those without ability to pay.
This is Pentecost when we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. John writes, "When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.  You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27 WEB). The Spirit of God bears witness to Jesus. The Spirit is sent to bring all things to remembrance––so that we may remember Jesus, see and know Jesus and be empowered to witness to Jesus. Our Lord is the living spring of water around which the Church is built. We come together to meet Jesus and receive Jesus. Jesus is the one and only reason we gather.
Someone recently told me not to be so concerned about the programs of the congregation but rather about the spiritual condition of the people in the congregation, to be a shepherd of souls rather than a manager of money and or director of activities. I am convinced that if the spiritual attitude and climate is right, then finances and programs will take care of themselves. When we drift away from the most important things to peripheral, to the social issues of the day or political agendas or time-fillers of fun and games, then the Church declines.  Christianity withers and fades. You do not need your preacher to read you the newspaper with her or his own commentary on current events. You certainly do not need to have your congregation provide you activities to fill your day. As the theologian Carl Braaten has noted, "Without the primitive Spirit of Pentecost we are way down in the valley of dry bones and the breath we use to chant the liturgy or preach the sermon will not have the power to make those dry bones live again." Where the Spirit is, there is life and growth; where the Spirit is not, our fellowships are boring, burned-out, hollow, wind-swept, dry and lifeless.
Without the living Spirit, we cling to outside authorities. We sometimes try to hide behind the Bible. We tell ourselves we are Bible-believers and may make strong statements about biblical authority. In the Lutheran Church some want to state that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, not just the religious passages but also the scientific and historical. Others affirm with the confessors that everything we need to know for our salvation is contained in the Bible, the book of faith. Some of these people do not read the Bible very much. If it is a means of grace, then the Spirit works through the ancient words preached or read to make them living within us today. The Holy Spirit makes the words printed on the page come alive to us in our own situations and we pull out for ourselves treasures old and new.
Some people hide behind church structures and I must say in my denomination that as the structure has become more bureaucratic and less flexible, the church body has lost millions of members and continues in rapid decline. Yes order is important but we can so emphasis the training of our pastors and their expertise in biblical languages and theology that we do ask why is there so little outreach? Our bishops and leaders are more concerned with maintaining what has been then openness to what could be––and this does not mean going with the fad de jour but being clear about witness to Christ. 
Or we may realize that this may be a difficult time to confess our faith in Christ as the Son of God and Savior. I do not doubt that it is a difficult time for bishops and church officials, ministers and lay leaders in a culture rapidly desacralizing and dechurching. It is much easier to focus on actions approved of a secular, agnostic environment––build homes for the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, work on approved social causes of the right or left.  At our last regional assembly, I do not remember Jesus being mentioned in all the talk of global warming, dangers of fracking, Israeli oppression of Palestinians, organizing to support gay marriage. These may be very good and important things and perhaps the Church may in the past been silent on issues of social and political involvement, but they are also easier than being witnesses to the power of Jesus Christ.

THIS SERMON is brought to you courtesy of SermonWriter. A SUBSCRIBER SAYS: "Hi Dick, Just a little feedback for you. "As I prepare the message from week to week, I use a few commentaries after I have read through the passage first and written down my own thoughts. But one exegesis which I never leave out is yours. It is so helpful reflecting on the details you have in your exegesis and on your personal thoughts which I find so often enhance the passage and what God may be saying to us today through it. "So I just wanted to encourage you in your work. I for one am blessed by your efforts and I know my church is too." TRY SERMONWRITER! A user-friendly resource for busy pastors! GET YOUR FOUR FREE SAMPLES! Click here for more information

How do you know if you alive in God's Spirit? How do we know we have found the water of life? First we acknowledge that God has found us in Jesus Christ. We do not need to go seeking what is freely given. God has come to you with forgiveness of sins and life everlasting because of Jesus' death on a cross and resurrection. Christ comes to you through means, not your own thoughts or understanding, not through will-power or obedience to structures, but through the words of the Gospel. God comes to you through God's Word, proclaimed and studied and read. God comes to you through baptism often before you even knew about God, God found you and made you God's child. It was God's grace that came to you in baptism. God's grace comes to you in the Lord's Supper, received by believing the words "for you." God comes in Bread and Wine, the Body and Blood of Christ, for you. The Spirit is given to you through these means.
But then, Jesus gives us the answer to the question of whether or not we are living out our lives in the Holy Spirit? Jesus says, the Spirit will witness to him and the Spirit will empower us to witness to him. The Spirit does not call us out of our communities but more deeply into the Church to witness to others, support and challenge others...to work. There is an old German story about a young preacher who bragged that he never prepared his sermons. Instead he trusted the Holy Spirit to put the right words into his mouth. An older man, a veteran preacher, volunteered that the Holy Spirit had only spoken to him once in the pulpit. Once, in the midst of delivering a bad sermon, he heard these words: "Heinrich you are lazy!"
The Spirit does not make us lazy or complacent, but gives us power and energy to do God's work. Jesus said to his followers, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). Being a follower of Christ, being alive in the Holy Spirit, is not a burden but a joy. Look to Jesus, the center of our faith. G.K. Chesterton once said, "We've asked all the question, now it's time we started giving some answers." The answer is Jesus. He is the fountain of living water offered to all through faith. Jesus is the answer to our boredom and malaise, to our lagging in zeal and reluctance to witness. "Come Holy Ghost our Souls Inspire," we sing. Come Holy Spirit. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Scripture quotations from the World English Bible.
Copyright 2014, James D. Kegel.  Used by permission

 

ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY CHAPLAINCY

CHAPTER 1

 ORIGINS OF THE CHAPLAINCY

 ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY CHAPLAINCY

The heritage of the United States Army Chaplaincy reaches far

back into the dim recesses of history. In times of turmoil, trouble, and terror mankind always looks to religion and religious figures for comfort. War is no exception. Both ancient and modern societies have turned to religion in periods of conflict. Communities always have extended the comfort of religion to those serving in the heart of battle. From what we know of societies prior to written history, it is likely that priests and other religious figures petitioned gods and spirits for victory in war. The Old Testament often refers to priests accompanying troops into battle. "And it shall be when ye are come nigh unto the battle," states the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy 20:2-4, "that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people." Another well-known example is found in Joshua 6:2-5. In this passage, seven priests, each carrying a ram's horn, march around the walls of Jericho daily for six days. They are followed by other priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant and finally the troops. On the seventh day,

the procession marched around the city seven times while the priests blew the horns. After the sound of the horns, the troops

shouted, whereupon the walls collapsed and the city was taken.

Megiddo in 1479 BC, is one of the earliest great battles of which we have detailed knowledge. There, the Egyptian army of the warrior Pharaoh Thutmose III defeated a Syrian force. Egyptian records describe Thutmose in religious terms as he led the final charge, "like Horus armed with talons." One modern writer, Thomas Mann, envisioned the exalted high priest of Atum-Re at the battle wearing the "priestly leopard skin...draped around his shoulders, with the head and forepaws hanging down his back, the hind-paws crossed on his breast...(with) other insignia of his state: a blue scarf, and a complicated gold ornament with rams heads...."

For the Romans the presence of a priest before each battle was vital. Sacred animals had to be killed ritually. Then, their livers were removed and read by the priests for favorable or unfavorable omens. In Imperial Rome the priests proclaimed war upon the advice of the Senate. Thus every war declared was both just and holy.

The modern chaplaincy's roots are essentially medieval Catholic in origin. The Council of Ratisbon (742 AD) first officially authorized the use of chaplains for armies, but prohibited "the servants of God" from bearing arms or fighting. The word chaplain itself also dates from this period. A fourth century legend held that a pagan Roman soldier called Martin of Tours encountered a beggar shivering from the cold and gave him part of his military cloak. That night he had a vision of Christ dressed in the cloak. As a result, Martin was converted to Christianity. He devoted his life to the

church, and after his death was canonized. Martin of Tours later became the patron saint of France and his cloak, now a holy relic, was carried into battle by the Frankish kings.

This cloak was called in Latin the "cappa". Its portable shrine was called the "capella" and its caretaker priest, the “cappellanus". Eventually, all clergy affiliated with military were called "capellani," or in French "chapelains", hence chaplains.

"St. Martin with the Beggar"

by El Greco

Religious figures in this era often went into battle as fighting men with the army. Archbishop Turpin (Tilpinus of Rheims), whose exploits are to be found in The Song of Roland, is a notable example of the warrior priest. In l066 at the Battle of Hastings, Bishop Odo, the younger half-brother of William the Conqueror, fought with a heavy blunt mace since as a religious man he had forsworn the use of edged or pointed weapons.

In 1175, the Synod of Westminster (England) prohibited the clergy, "to take up arms nor to go about in armor," but this was not generally heeded until the 14th century. By the time of the Reformation in the 16^th century, the chaplain's duty was defined "to have 'care of souls,' and it is well if he meddle with no other business, but make that his only care."

The conflict between the religious function and the military role can be seen in the career of the patron saint of military chaplains. Designated as such by Pope John Paul II in 1984, the Franciscan Saint John Capistrano was born in Italy in l386. Besides serving the Church as a diplomat, he also led part of the Christian army at the Battle of Belgrade in l456.

This European tradition extended to colonial America where the chaplain both fought alongside and ministered to his neighbors in the militia. For the militia chaplain in early colonial American that heritage of active fighting and ministering was a living one. The tradition, however, was slowly changing as European culture adjusted to fit a new religiously diverse world.

THE COLONIAL PERIOD, l607-l775

Between l607 (the founding of Jamestown) and l775, a span of l68 years, a unique civilization emerged in North America as waves of European immigrants (mainly from the British Isles, but also from the Germanies) were transformed, often in a generation, into Americans. This extended period of change also saw an almost continual war with the Native American tribes, and against the French for the political and economic control of the continent. The chaplain, clad in his suit of black broadcloth, accompanied the colonial militia into battle

from the very beginning.

The colonial forces were locally recruited and when they went to war they took with them one of the local ministers, who usually, but not always, was one of the younger and more physically able of the clergy.

It was an age when religion played a much more important role in the lives of Americans. For the colonist, the minister was a powerful figure of authority within the community.

Not even a minor military operation was planned or carried out without making sure that a minister was available to counsel and motivate the colonial fighting man.

The Reverend Samuel Stone of the Church of Christ in Hartford, Connecticut, is an example of the power and authority exercised by the chaplain. The Reverend Stone was the first military chaplain to begin his active field service in English America. Earlier chaplains accompanied expeditions to the New World.

Stone served in the Pequot War of l637, the first large scale Indian conflict in New England. Increase Mather wrote in his

Early History of New England that when the military leaders of an expedition against the Pequots disagreed on how to attack the tribe -- either to make a direct assault up the Thames River (in what is now Connecticut), or to attack in a roundabout manner by Narragansett Bay (now Rhode Island) - - the Reverend Stone was asked to give his judgment

.

"He retired himself from them aboard the Pink [a type of sailing vessel]," wrote Mather, "the remaining Part of the Day, and the

following Night was not wanting in spreading the Case before the Lord, and seeking his Direction...." Stone told the expedition's commanders the next morning that it was God's will that the Narragansett Bay route be taken. This was done and the Pequots were defeated.

As European settlers found their lives changed because of the different economic and geographical conditions in America, so too did their way of making war. By 1675, when the next great Indian war, King Philip's War, was fought, the heavy cromwellian armor from Europe which was worn during the Pequot War had disappeared; the colonists adopting a form of warfare more suitable to the forest, emphasizing both speed of movement and surprise. Chaplains such as Joseph Dudley, Nicholas Noyes, and Samuel Nowell served with the colonial militias in this war, and they and other chaplains were present at all the battles in the conflict, such as the Great Swamp fight in l675, and the Battle of the Falls in l676.

From 1689 to 1763, the colonists took part in four great wars against the French: King William's War (l689-l697); Queen Anne's War (l702-l7l3); King George's War (l744-l748); and the French and Indian War (l754-l763). In each of these conflicts, chaplains accompanied their men on the campaigns and in battle. In the first large-scale colonial expedition against the French in l690, five chaplains saw service with the 2500 colonial militiamen who sailed under Sir William Phips in an unsuccessful attack upon Quebec.

Nine chaplains went with the colonial force that captured the French fortress of Louisbourg (often referred to as the "Gibraltar of North America") in l745.

In the last and greatest of the colonial conflicts, the French and Indian War, some thirty-one chaplains served: "Nearly half were from Massachusetts, and a fourth were on duty with Pennsylvania regiments. Congregationalists were the

most numerous, with a considerable number of Presbyterians and some Episcopalians."

During this conflict a young George Washington realized the necessity that every military unit have access to a chaplain. For two years during this war he vainly tried to persuade Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia to authorize a chaplain for his command, which was then guarding the Virginia frontier.

He wrote: The want of a chaplain does, I humbly conceive, reflect dishonor upon the regiment, as all other officers

are allowed. The gentlemen of the corps are sensible to this, and did propose to support one at their private expense. But I think it would have a more graceful appearance were he appointed as others are.

The colonial chaplain's duties varied. Ministers preached on Sundays but held prayers daily. They visited the sick and wounded. And, even though there was no formal organization of chaplains, those representing various denominations would meet, share preaching duties and support each other with intellectual companionship, prayer, and fellowship.

THE REVOLUTION, 1775-1783

The history of Army chaplains throughout our War for Independence is a chronicle of sacrifice and service. Colonial clergymen frequently raised military units from their own congregations or localities, and often led them in battle. They bore their suffering and knew hunger, loneliness, imprisonment, defeat, wounds, death, and ultimate victory.

The story of the Revolutionary War chaplains begins at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge on 19 April l775. A number of New England clerics served at Concord: William Emerson, later to die

while on active duty; Joseph Thaxter, soon to be wounded at Bunker Hill; Edmund Foster, a theological student; and the Reverend Doctor Philips Payson. The latter three not only ministered to the minutemen but also "shouldered their muskets, and fought like common soldiers." It was written of Rev. Payson: "Seizing a musket he put himself at the head of a party, and led them forward to the attack." William Emerson served at

Concord in the capacity of a chaplain only, and so has the distinction of being the first Revolutionary War chaplain.

Scores of others were not content to wait The Revolutionary Army at the start was built on the old militia system -- a plan

for utilizing every able-bodied man regardless of age or occupation in life.

First to be called were the minutemen, the younger and more active third of the militia. Next were the militia proper, and

finally those deferred until the last, the Alarm List. These were the old men, magistrates, paupers (who could not

afford to arm themselves), and the clergy. Some clergymen distinguished themselves by actually fighting in the Alarm List, as did those who led the "Old Men of Monotomy" at Lexington and Concord. for action with this home guard but joined

the minutemen or militia: Some fighting, others simply as ministers of religion, and still others taking up the work they had laid down years before after the capture ofLouisburg in King George's War, but all without military status.

The Reverend Benjamin Balch of Danvers, Massachusetts, for example, served as a lieutenant in an Alarm Company commanded by a deacon, Captain Edmund Putnam. Following Lexington, Balch volunteered to be the chaplain of Colonel Ephraim Doolittle's Regiment. In 1778 he became the first chaplain in the fledgling American Navy.

When George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts, chaplains were already present for duty. Washington could count fifteen chaplains serving with the twenty-three regiments gathered around Boston.

The Continental Congress gave the chaplains its official recognition on 29 July l775, when it voted pay for various officers and enlisted personnel in the Continental Army not previously covered in its resolution of l6 July. The reference is to dollars per month, and it reads: "Chaplain 20." This was the same sum paid captains and Judge Advocates, and it was the first official recognition of chaplains by an American government.

As such it is considered the birth date of the chaplaincy. Nearly a year later General George Washington issued the following General Order: New York, July 9th, l776 The Honorable Continental Congress having been pleased to allow a Chaplain to each Regiment, with the pay of Thirty-Three Dollars

and one third dollars pr month –

The Colonels or commanding officers of each regiment are directed to procure Chaplains accordingly; persons of good Characters and exemplary lives –

To see that all inferior officers andsoldiers pay them a suitable respect and attend carefully upon religious exercises. The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger –

The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.

At the outset of the war, each colony had its own plan for the chaplaincy or hastily improvised one.

Virginia established its militia regimental chaplaincy by legislative act in 1758 at the request of Colonel George Washington, yet no chaplains seem to have been

appointed until 1776.

Connecticut had regimental chaplains appointed by the Governor.

Massachusetts had several systems operating at the same time. The official plan was to rotate the duty among the clergy of the established Congregational Church.

The Religious Roots of America and Her Wars

God and America’s Wars

Chapter One

The Religious Roots of America and Her Wars

 The “Old” World Soil

             Most people reading this will identify the nation of the United States of America with the term “America”. But the name “America” is much older than the U. S. A. That term for all of the lands opened by Spain and Portugal’s voyages of discovery was in use centuries before the “Founders” of the United States of America conceived of our new nation. The religious roots of America and her wars are entwined in those centuries. Other soil for these roots involve British political and religious history. Another set of factors is the international relations within Europe at the time.

            After Columbus’ sailed across the Atlantic in 1492, the pope divided responsibility for “America” between Spain and Portugal. England, which soon there after, declared her religious independence from Rome, was not inclined to accept the pope’s decision. English monarchs after Henry the 8^th. did not see the pope as the “Vicar of Christ” rather they called him, “The ‘Whore’ of ‘Babylon’” and identified him with “The Anti-Christ”

            Spain, Portugal and France were England’s rival powers in Europe and in the grab for lands in the “New World”. The fact is all of these rivals were Catholic while England was protestant. England, especially after Spain attempted to mount an invasion with her “Armada”, felt she was being out-flanked. So the English throne took an interest the colonization of America to counter-balance the power of her European rivals.

            The other soil for America’s religious roots are found deep in British political and religious history. After Henry the 8^th. replaced the pope’s leadership of the English church with his own, he did not define the nature of the English church. Mary, “Queen of Scots” even tried to reconnect the English Church with Rome. It did not work for most English citizens saw being Catholic as being disloyal to God, their monarch and the English nation. Even if most of the English accepted that their nation should be protestant that did not settle the question of what kind of worship and theology should prevail. The English Civil War may have been provoked by Charles I’s personality, but it was largely religious issues, which fueled it.

Whether or not the worship-leader should wear priestly robes and other vestments or an academic robe or no distinctive garb at all, was one hotly debated question. Another issue is whether worship should be an enactment of the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ with the transubstantiation of the communion wine and bread into the blood and body of Jesus centered around an altar or the “Lord’s Supper” memorialized around a table. Should communion be an occasional event with most services centered around the “Word” from the pulpit was also a topic of contention. Lastly was the issue of how much control individuals and congregations should have over their religious life and how much national uniformity should be enforced.

Some issues, which seem to be only political, have religious roots. One question involves the relative power of the British Parliament and her monarch. If England’s anointed monarch rules by “Divine Right” why does he or she need the cooperation of the people representative? Answering that question wrong cost Charles I his head!

Since the bulk of settlers which came to the thirteen colonies, which would form the core the United States of America came from the British Isles this issues formed the religious roots of the new republic.

“New World” Plantations

Jamestown

Planting the Flag for the Faith and King

            The international situation in which England found herself being “Out Flanked” by hostile Catholic nations pressed British into action. After failing at Roan-oak Island, to establish a permanent settlement, English Protestants planted a flag for King James and a church for their faith in Virginia.

A “Calling” to Bring the Light of the Gospel to the Natives Who Lived in Darkness

            One of the stated motives for the establishment of Jamestown was bring the light of the gospel to the natives who lived in darkness. Efforts were made without much success

 Separating Church and State

            Much later in the history of Virginia, there was a move to allow more religious freedom for Baptists. To some degree, that involved the disestablishment of The Church of England. 

Plymouth

An Errand into the Wilderness

            The Congregationists who landed on Plymouth Rock saw their task in the new world of creating a pure society and church which would serve a an example to the “Old” England and be imported back to the home country,

Remaining English and Faithful

            The Pilgrims, which had spent years in Holland to the point that their children were becoming Dutch wanted to remain both English and faithful to their non-conforming and separatist faith

Fighting the Unredeemable Natives

            Relations with the natives degenerated in war. So many Northern American Settlers decided Indians were like the Canaanites in the Old Testament “Promised Land” and should be wiped out

Boston

A “City on a Hill”; A Puritan Endeavor

            I think John Winthrop words speak for thenselves. “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. * (Bold type and italics added by the author of this book) So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.”

“Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles. We have professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these and those ends. We have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if we shall neglect the observation of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions, seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, and be revenged of such a people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.”

“Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others’ necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality.”

“If our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it.”

 “Therefore let us choose life,

that we and our seed may live,

by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him,

For He is our life and our prosperity.”

It has been almost four centuries since these words were spoken aboard the flagship of a fleet of Puritan immigrants. But they are still true in this pastor’s mind.

Providence

A Haven for Religious Liberty

            As other plantations enforced religious conformity, Providence in today’s Rhode Island, welcomed all

Maryland

Refuge for Catholics

            As Roman Catholics were being persecuted in England they went to Maryland

Philadelphia

Quakers and Germans

Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania were the home of Quakers and Germans

Delaware

A Place for Swedes: Lutherans

            Delaware, “New Sweden” was dominated by their Lutheran “State” church.

            All of these religious motivations formed some of the foundation for the American Revolution.