The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
As it happens, today is Independence Day, and, you know, I think
independence is a very accurate word to describe most Americans. Most of
us seem to be very independent. We don't like to be told what to do. We like to
"do our own thing," and to be free to think...and say...and do...what we please,
insofar as the law and our idea of manners allows. And, also as it happens,
today's Scripture readings, although they are the readings for the Sunday, not
for Independence Day, do seem to focus on the issue of independence...not
independence from our mother country, England, but rather, personal independence
as most Americans seem to understand it.
Independence, of course, must have some boundaries. If it has no boundaries,
it quickly becomes chaos, a kind of anarchy, where everyone does their own thing
without regard for others' rights or needs. That, of course, is why we have
laws. Laws limit and define our areas of independence. They keep us from going
around stabbing or shooting people who step on our toes or in other ways
irritate us. They ensure that we have safe possession of our property, and that
we treat other people like people instead of things. Laws are necessary. They
are actually, if you stop to think of it, an expression of love and concern for
one another, as well as for our own well-being and happiness.
Paul's letter to the Galatians outlines some boundaries for the members of
the church, boundaries that in many ways go further and cut deeper than the
boundaries of civil law. Paul knows that people in the church, as well as people
outside of the church, do wrong from time to time. But, Paul wants Christians to
deal gently with one another. So, instead of condoning the kind of "off with his
head" philosophy pushed by the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, Paul
tells us to gently remonstrate with the person who has offended. He wants us to
show them, gently and with love, the errors of their ways and how their actions
hurt others...and themselves. He wants us to do this in such a way that the
person will not become angry and hold a grudge against us, or against the
church, for limiting his independence.
At the same time, Paul tells us to bear one another's burdens, share in a
person's pain or hurting or need. He wants us to test ourselves, hold ourselves
up to the standard of Christ, instead of complaining about others or gossiping
about others' shortcomings. In short, he wants us to be aware that in everything
we do, we are either building or tearing down the church as a community, as well
as giving a good or bad understanding of the church to the larger community. He
gives us to understand that our independence must be the kind of lifestyle that
builds up, not tears down, both the church and the larger community in which we
live...the town, the country, the world. He wants us to remember that although
we have rights, what we do impacts everyone, and makes our own life better or
worse, along with making the lives of others better or worse.
God's words, given to the prophet Isaiah to share with the people, show us
the same thing from a different perspective. Our home, be it a village, a city,
a nation or the world...or even the universe...is like a parent to us. It
provides for us in many ways. We only have to think of the water purification
plants, the police and firefighters, the street workers who collect trash and
plow away the snow and repair roads, to understand this. And so, we are told to
love our parent-town and our parent-environment, which we could call Mother
Nature. Jerusalem was, for the Jewish people, the center of their life and
faith. We are to treat the place we live, up to and including the world and the
universe, with that same sort of reverence. We are hearing a lot lately about
oil in the Gulf of Mexico...that's one example of what not to do, of the ways we
mistreat the world and contaminate our own nests. We all know about the cost of
cleaning up Onondaga Lake, after years of dirtying it. Many of us simply ignore
the trash barrels on street corners, and toss our garbage anywhere. Scientists
are becoming very concerned about the amount of "space junk," the discarded
stages of rockets and satellites, that litter the skies.
Jesus' instructions to the 70 disciples that he sent out to preach, teach and
heal, show us still another aspect of how Christians are supposed to live. Jesus
instructs the disciples to take no money, no luggage, with them, but to depend
on charity, which is another word for love. They are to rely on God to inspire
people to provide a place to sleep and food to eat. Before you start saying that
this is impractical and silly, stop a minute to think. The other side of the
coin, so to speak, is that we should be ready to help the hungry, help the
homeless, help those in need. That's how we show God's love to people. Some of
us work at Samaritan Center to provide meals for the hungry. Some volunteer at
Oxford House or the Rescue Mission to provide a place for the homeless to sleep.
Some volunteer at Vera House to listen to and provide comfort for victims of
family violence. Some of us send a monthly check to provide food, schooling and
clothing for children in Third World countries. And some of us make regular
contributions to various local charities. All of this is the kind of lifestyle
Jesus was talking about, and the kind of lifestyle of which Paul said,
Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
There is a saying, often seen on bumper stickers and T-shirts, that
Freedom is not free. It speaks of the sacrifices made by people in the
military to uphold our hard-won freedom. But there is more to it than that.
Independence doesn't mean thumbing our noses at the rest of the world and doing
just what we like. Independence, like freedom, means doing our part as
individuals, for the greater good of us all...in short, fulfilling the law of
Christ.
Amen.
