Sermon -- Sunday, July 5, 2020
/Exodus 19:1-8
By: Rev. Gene Dyszlewski
So, what comes to mind when you think of the Book of Exodus? Do you think of the dramatic walk through the Red See on dry land? Do you think of manna…Passover…or perhaps the 10 Commandments? Well in today’s reading Moses and the Hebrew people are at the foot of Mt. Sinai and God is telling Moses, “Look, I have brought you out of bondage to live as a free people and my love and concern continues. I wish to continue to care for you and to have a loving relationship with you. I will give you instructions as to what you need to do to flourish as a people.”: Moses checks with the elders and they agree to accept God’s commandments.
And thus we have the paradox of Exodus: with liberty comes limitations, with freedom comes responsibility. Liberty is granted to allow us to thrive within the structure of what it means to be human. Liberty in a religious context is not unbridled self-expression. Liberty is not a license to behave randomly but an opportunity to become alive as a unique human being. The restraints or limitations imposed by God are not random or arbitrary constraints. They flow from the natural structure and design of humanity.
Another important factor, that is not specifically mentioned but is part of this process, is that God is developing a relationship with a people, with an entire community. Yes, Moses is called by God to be a leader but he is constantly sent by God to the beloved community to get their recognition and assent. God is pitching a tent among God’s people; not hanging out with a few friends.
You may recall that Jesus’ teaching was community oriented. Jesus had a “we” message. Jesus was concerned about the salvation, the healing, of the world, not specific individuals…the world. He invited his disciples to sit with him at table and experience themselves as be part of one great family. While each member of the beloved community is unique, each shares a common characteristic: the spark of divinity in their heart. And we, his disciples, are more fully alive when we are part of the beloved community. Jesus left us with one commandment that we love one another.
So, okay, what’s the big deal. We’re all on board with freedom being expressed within the confines of the very structure of our human nature. This is a religious position that is reflected in some way in all the world’s religious. The problem is that it is an issue that is not settled in the court of secular opinion.
This weekend we are celebrating the 4th of July, an important moment in the life of our nation. We recognize the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the birth of our nation. Through it the Colonists severed ties with English governance to be able to set up their own government…one that will better provide for the safety, well-being and happiness of the American people…one that will better respect the core structures and values of humanity in general.
The signers of the Declaration recognize that there are a number of human rights essential to humanity and they identity a few, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Probably the biggest assertion that the founders make is that “All men are created equal…” This phrase and the rest of this run on sentence places the Declaration in the pantheon of valued, if not almost sacred texts.
I do not want to devalue the message in any way. I think that the vision of humanity is generally consistent with Biblical principles, the misinterpretation of the message is a concern. The signers themselves had a restricted vision of their own words. When they said all men, they meant only “men with legal standing to make a complain to the government” and if necessary to sever the contract. Only men of property had this right and legal standing. Men without property were excluded. Men of African decent were excluded. Women were excluded. Women were believed to be incomplete humans. Women had no standing in a court of law.
When they said that …all men are created equal, …No one thought that it meant all humanity. During the mid-1800s the idea that “men” meant “all humanity” was raised but it was rejected and that rejection was made public in a decision written by the Chief Justice of the United States. Since then his opinion has been soundly and legally rejected. This past week the statue of that Chief Justice was removed in disgrace from the courthouse in his hometown.
Liberty
There is another misinterpretation of the message. Some people get all excited about one word in the document: liberty. They have convinced themselves that the Declaration asserts that they have the right to be a nation unto themselves. This is not a Declaration of Sovereign Individuality. There are no sovereign individuals in the view of the founders.
The problem the founders were addressing was good governance. They were making government accountable, they weren’t abolishing governance. In those days in Europe you were born into a country with a king who ruled by divine right and holding him accountable was unthinkable. The courage and genius of the signers of the Declaration was that they believed government must be held accountable… and they believed that good governance can be measured. The yardstick they used to measure government was how well it was able to address the safety, well-bring and happiness of the people.
John Winthrop
A thriving nation with flourishing people requires more than a document. It also requires more than a government. It requires the care and concern of its people. In fact, a nation is its people.
When I think about the founding vision for America, I think of another document…a letter…with no legal standing…just advice.
For a period of 10 years, when the pilgrims and early settlers came to New England in the 1600s, they were given a letter written by John Winthrop. His vision wasn’t how to build a government; it was how to be a people. His vision was informed by his religious beliefs and spoke with a decided biblical framework.
Government and politics aside, Winthrop understood that moral behavior cannot be legislated. He advises selfless care for one another. He tells us that we must give up what is convenient for us, to address the needs of others. We must delight in each other’s lives.
Winthrop invites us to consider the responsibility that comes with our freedom. Each person has the freedom to express their unique contribution to the human community in the way they choose. The choice is how not if.
