Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others.In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew 16:13–23 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[a] the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter,[b] and on this rock[c] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was[d] the Messiah.[e] Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection 21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance[f] to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” In this passage, Peter experiences a life-shaking defeat on the heels of one of the greatest statements of faith in history. One minute Peter was being warmly affirmed by Jesus; the next, he was rebuked by Jesus. This is Peter at his impulsive best, and it once again serves as a reminder to keep our eyes on our Lord and Savior, no matter what is going on around us. Jesus asks his disciples who people were saying he was—there was a lot of buzz about this healing, miracle-producing, itinerant teacher, and the crowds had some ideas of their own, which revealed they did not fully grasp who Jesus was. Jesus emphatically asks the disciples his question—he wants their thoughts. And Peter’s confession is a complete and perfect answer: Jesus is the Messiah (Redeemer/Savior) and Son of the Living God. Peter did not come to this conclusion by weighing an abundance of evidence—God had called Peter’s heart and revealed this truth to him. This was a remarkable moment for Peter—an uneducated fisherman had just uttered the greatest theological statement in history. But then we see a disappointing failure of Peter as Jesus next unfolds the eternal plan of God the Father—Peter was just not ready for that. Jesus tells his disciples he must suffer, die, and be raised on the third day—it was imperative that all this happen to fulfill God’s plan of redemption for the world. Peter was not able to hear this; he responded just as mistakenly to Jesus’s pronouncement of what must happen to him as Peter had correctly responded to Jesus’s first question about who Jesus was. Peter took his eyes off of the Messiah—maybe he wanted to protect Jesus; he didn’t want him to suffer, but those were his presumptive thoughts and self-interest speaking. What can we learn from Peter’s behavior in this Gospel passage when confronted with challenging situations in our lives, or doubt or lack of faith? Am I submitting to the will of God in this moment? Am I committed to following the leading of the Holy Spirit? What will motivate and compel my life—my interests or God’s? Despite Peter’s blunder in this passage, the humbling and shattering corrective from Jesus was taken in the proper spirit. Peter got the message. As they all moved closer to the cross with Jesus, Peter’s commitment to remain true to Christ at all costs only intensified.

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew 14:22–33 Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning Jesus came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Only by undistracted focus can we achieve anything in life that we value; to be excellent at something requires laser focus. We will see in our encounter with Peter in this passage that, as he slowly learned to follow Jesus, he would discover what it meant to be shaken by distraction. Jesus and the disciples had just finished a long day of ministry; Jesus withdrew by himself for some alone time with God and sent his disciples off across the water to the other side in their boat. The disciples boarded the boat expecting Jesus would rejoin them. He would indeed come back to them, but not before giving them another opportunity to trust Him more. Meanwhile, the disciples are battling a sudden storm that arose on the water; their boat was being battered by the waves far from land. What the disciples saw was terrifying. They knew water, having spent their entire adult lives making a living from it, and it is not only improbable that someone could walk on water, but impossible. So what happens in the disciples’ terror? Jesus calls out to them, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid!” Again, those words we hear so often in the Bible—do not be afraid. Jesus is in control of the situation; God is sovereign over all creation. Here Peter’s boldness is on full display. What is his response to Jesus’s reassurance? Peter steps out in audacious faith, abandoning himself to walk out and meet Jesus on the water. We know how this “walk” of Peter’s will end, but we cannot forget that Peter actually did walk on water. This is Peter at his best—totally trusting in Jesus and then acting on that trust. As a seasoned fisherman, Peter would never have attempted to step out of his boat to walk on water, but for those few moments, he did it as he kept his eyes on Christ. There are other stories in the Bible of water miracles—Moses going through the Red Sea with the Israelites to escape Pharaoh and leave Egypt, Joshua moving through the Jordan River to cross over into the promised land—but those are through water, not on water. Only Jesus—and Peter for a short time—walked on water. Peter was suddenly shaken by the realization that he was walking on the water in a storm. He became distracted and stopped looking at Jesus. There are so many distractions in the world that entice us to take our eyes off of Christ: Fear—the feeling we have when we perceive that life is suddenly out of control instead of trusting that our lives are in God’s control. Despair—the internal sense of loss that causes us to lose heart and hope because circumstances cloud our view of God’s purposes. Disappointment—the hurt that results from placing our trust in people who fail us. Stress—the pressure that comes into our lives when we try to take on life in our own strength. Peter was a failure at walking on water, but the bigger failure was the other eleven disciples who did not even get out of the boat. We are people of purpose, encouraged to look beyond the distractions that surround us, so we can run the race powered by the Holy Spirit.

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others.In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Luke 5:1–11 Jesus Calls the First Disciples 5 Once while Jesus[a] was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. You can’t miss Peter in the Gospels—every list of disciples in the Gospels names him first. He was brash and aggressive, the type who pushes to get to the head of the line. Although likable enough, with a big heart and unlimited enthusiasm, Peter, or Simon as he was originally named, had rough edges. He was impulsive and could be argumentative, even with Jesus. He could be bold and courageous in one moment, yet cowardly when it really counted. Sound familiar? Peter eventually earned the nickname “Rock” that Jesus gave him, as we see Peter make a remarkable transformation from the time he became one of Jesus’ disciples to the time after Jesus’s ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s life demonstrates that God does not give up on us. God sees the gifts He can use to further His work, even if we don’t see them. Let’s explore how Peter is shaken by the power of Christ in this passage. Jesus makes an unusual request of Peter, more of a command than a suggestion. The fishermen had been working all through the night at their trade; Peter was tired and frustrated, and their work had not been productive at all. However, Peter obeys Jesus, even though he initially questions what Jesus tells him to do. The results of complying with Jesus’s command? A bounty beyond comprehension. Jesus’s authority is not bound by our abilities. Peter responds in obedience and leaves his former life behind. Jesus invites Peter on an adventure of faith that would radically transform his life, giving him: A new attitude – “Do not be afraid”—how many times have we heard this in the Bible? A new day – “from now on”—a break with the past that changes everything. A new purpose – “from now on you will catch people”—an invitation to Peter to follow Jesus. A new life – “They left everything and followed him”—this is radical commitment. Peter’s journey was just beginning; his transformation into the Rock would be slow and gradual. Being in the presence of the One who has the power to call us, change us, and use us for His glory and honor—what greater calling is there?

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John 15:9-11, Matthew 28:1-8 "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8b    “ So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and be glad. ” - Ecclesiastes 8:15 Despite dealing with a tremendous number of weighty topics—such as sin, war, greed, and more—the Bible surprisingly has a great deal to say about a life of happiness. There are stories of grand feasts in heaven, and the table will be overflowing with incredible foods. But even more, the beauty of creation, the thrill of physical attraction, even the labor of our hands—all are gifts God gave for our joy. It is the life we were meant for. Perhaps my favorite single notion in all of literature outside of the Bible comes from the Westminster Catechism, and it’s the very first question: “ What is the chief end of humankind? ” And the answer: “ To glorify God and enjoy God forever! ” Even the simple pleasures, as Ecclesiastes points out—eating and drinking—are highly commended by God and lived out by Jesus Himself! Jesus’ reputation for being overly serious is not well founded. We only have accounts of the last few years of his life. Due to the profoundly important and compacted mission he had, naturally a great deal of it was very difficult. And yet, the Bible uses precious ink to tell us something important about Him. Unlike John the Baptist, who deprived himself of earthly pleasures, Jesus is accused of being a drunkard and a glutton! Clearly, He enjoyed eating and drinking with strangers and friends alike. So first, we can see that God wants us to be happy. God wants us to enjoy the physical world we have been placed in. And for this, we can be truly thankful. But of course, things are not quite so simple. It was not an infrequent occurrence that on Saturday nights in high school, when my mom made me be in by 9:00 p.m. while all my friends were out having a night on the town, my brother Matthew and I would have great fun eating—between the two of us—a one-pound bag of Doritos, a pound of Reese’s Cups, a 12-pack of Coca-Cola, and half a dozen donuts, all while watching  Fantasy Island  and  The Love Boat. As you can tell, we were the cool people. Inevitably, after such a Saturday night, my mom would wake us up at something like 6:30 a.m. on Sunday to get us ready for church, and we were moaning and groaning—sick as dogs. I guess it’s true; you can’t have too much of a good thing! This is the pitfall of the prodigal son that Jesus talked about. He took his father’s inheritance and squandered it in endless pleasure. For him, it was the goal of life… but then he found himself so destitute that he was hungry enough to eat the food given to pigs. In some ways, perhaps our society has gotten lost like the prodigal son, but we’re not only chasing physical pleasure—we’re chasing everything in a desperate attempt to fill an emptiness. And because of this, we are missing the purpose of this life. We are distracted by social media, beset by the news, brought low by cynicism, and so we have become willing to settle. We try to eke out moments of happiness here and happiness there, but have lost the grander view. We are meant for something more than fleeting moments of pleasure. For the past several weeks, we have been looking at the founding values of our country. Two weeks ago, we looked at the God-given rights of life and liberty. And so this week, we are going to dive deeper into our country’s founding value, the pursuit of happiness—and we shall quickly see it was never about chasing pleasure. Thomas Jefferson wrote these words, borrowing much from the philosopher John Locke. Locke spoke about life, liberty, and property. But Jefferson replaced property with the pursuit of happiness—immediately recognizing that life has a grander purpose than the accumulation of things. What Jefferson meant by happiness is grounded in Enlightenment philosophy. Rather than mere pleasure, Jeffrey Rosen, author of  The Pursuit of Happiness , wrote, “ The Founders understood happiness not as pleasure, but as virtue, ” and “ happiness meant being good, not feeling good .” Furthermore, because we could easily be swayed by momentary passions, self-control was essential to happiness. Here the founders relied on ancient Greek philosophers such as Epictetus, who wrote, “ No one is free who is not master of himself .” This is where Christianity diverges from the founders. As Martin Luther so powerfully wrote in that thunderingly good hymn,  A Mighty Fortress Is Our God :  “For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.” In other words, the Enlightenment notion of self-mastery is a myth. Our own strength is not enough. Furthermore, happiness through political freedom only gets us so far when we are still left with the weakness of the human condition—as Jesus’ followers discovered. They were understandably looking for earthly happiness—through political freedom, physical healing, and an abundance of food. Who isn’t? But these are fleeting and temporal. They are subject to famine, to the next illness, and to the next totalitarian regime. Most of history’s acts of political freedom quickly turned around and became their own acts of terror. So we cannot rely on society to bring us happiness, nor can we rely on ourselves. But there is good news. Again, from Martin Luther: “ Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.”  There is another source of strength! Scottish common-sense philosopher Francis Hutcheson, who heavily influenced not only the founders of Presbyterianism in this country but our Founding Fathers, wrote:“ …there can be no other stable foundation of tranquility and joy than a constant trust in the goodness, wisdom, and power of God. ” Listen to what trust in God offers us: The angels tell us:  “I bring you good news of a great joy… for all people.”  (Luke 2:10) Paul reveals:  “The fruit of the Spirit is (among other things) … joy!” And two from Jesus himself:  “I have said these things… so your joy may be complete.” and  “I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10) Jesus offers something much grander than the pursuit of happiness could ever give us: abundant life! On that Resurrection morning, when the women came to the empty tomb and encountered the risen Christ, they suddenly knew everything that Jesus said was true. True life was here. And “abundant” did not mean a little bit extra, something a little bit better; the word that Jesus used meant overflowing, excessive, extreme. An incredible, unbelievable destiny is what is meant for us. The women at that empty tomb realized that he was giving them more than they could even conceive of hoping for—a life, a joy, that cannot be erased by politics; a happiness that cannot be dimmed by hunger; and a peace that not even death can destroy. And so they ran. I imagine they ran as fast as they could. The Bible tells us: “They left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples.” I imagine they ran with the giddiness of children. When was the last time you ran with great joy? It is the thrill of knowing the deepest truth that Archbishop Desmond Tutu told us so well: “ Goodness is stronger than evil, and victory is ours through him who loved us!!!!!” Speaking of victory, I want to share with you a story that tells us how to run with great joy—so that the truth that the world is a beautiful place, that people are really loving on the inside, and that sometimes we run to win and other times we run for something much deeper. In 1976 at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out—not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All that is except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned and went back. Every one of them. One girl with down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, ‘This will make it better.’ All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line- together. Everyone in the stadium stood and the cheering went on for several minutes. The pursuit of happiness is a great gift we have in this land. But even it cannot compare to the abundant life that Jesus intends for us all. Amen.

Exodus 6:5-7, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8b   ​ “There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending… we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us! Gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace! Peace!’ but there is no peace! The war is actually begun! Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” —Patrick Henry, Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775. Powerful. No one more than Patrick Henry has so persuasively articulated our need for freedom. This came in the midst of an age in which, throughout Europe and in the colonies, debates raged over the role of the church and the state. Subjects in certain kingdoms had to swear a loyalty for life and limb to their king, relinquishing their freedom. One such common English formula was: “ I become your man, and I will bear you faith for life and limb. ” The coercion of both the state and the church in Europe led particularly Presbyterians to be extremely wary of an established religion more than Anglicans or even Congregationalists. We were among the strongest defenders of disestablishment, for example supporting abolishing mandatory religious taxes in Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and New Jersey. We believed in the separation of church and state—but not in a secular society. The church has spiritual authority; the state has civil authority. They should not dominate or interfere with one another, but both are under God. Thus, the freedom to worship as one sees fit became foundational to this country. In fact, in 1790 George Washington, in a letter to a Hebrew congregation in Newport, promised that America would give bigotry no sanction and to persecution no assistance. Again, as in weeks past, we read of lofty aspirations which we could not quibble with today, but also the sad inability to live into it. For our country, at one time or another, has persecuted dozens of religions, races, and ethnic groups. There is, of course, a biblical foundation to freedom. It was bestowed by God at the dawn of creation: “ You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die ” (Genesis 2:16b–17). Uniquely, amidst all the rest of creation, God gave us freedom. God believed this gift was so profoundly important that we even had the power to defy God and sever the harmony of creation. We know the terrible things that we have all done with it: war, treachery, greed. And yet, and yet, God gives it to us anyway. And Patrick Henry and others throughout history were willing to give up the gift of life for the gift of freedom. Can we conceive of anything more valuable, knowing what God put at risk?Knowing that eventually, on this very week, it would lead to the crucifixion of the Son?! We are the Jerusalem crowd; we use our freedom to welcome Jesus with lofty praise and then condemn Him with shouts of “crucify Him.” We have a very hard time with this freedom. Nowhere is this more acutely seen than in the tragic truth revealed so recently about Cesar Chavez. He did so much for day laborers in California—the farm workers movement; his image is enshrined all over California for the great work, but they are busily scrubbing his visage and name all across the state because now it appears there was an evil that festered inside of him as well. But even so, God believed freedom was essential, and as many cases of evil as there are, I believe there are a hundredfold more examples of beauty. … Maxwell’s equations that harmonized electricity and magnetism, … Shakespeare’s eighteenth sonnet, “ Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day, ” … Mozart’s Requiem, and its heartbreaking  Lacrimosa , … the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, The Hand of God at Creation, … Harper Lee’s  To Kill a Mockingbird ; Atticus Finch! These works show what true freedom can create. Yet, as lofty as these accomplishments are, the greater creative power of the human spirit is found when freedom is threatened: … the courage of Harriet Tubman, … the grit of Rigoberta Menchú, … the soul of Mahatma Gandhi, … the brazen tenacity of Moses, … the spirit of Anne Frank, … and the nameless people throughout history who harbored the Jews during World War II, who protected people in the killing fields of Cambodia, and the dissidents who spoke against totalitarian Russia. Freedom is the greatest gift God has granted; for it is only through being truly free that we can truly love. Otherwise, obedience is compulsion and devotion is fear. So when people are robbed of this freedom, they are robbed of their dignity, and the beauty of the human spirit becomes clouded and opaque, even to the individuals themselves. And so we are challenged as a society to protect the freedom and dignity of all individuals, no matter who they are, no matter what they have done or failed to do. Last week we spoke of the dignity that is owed to every human creature by virtue of their created nature—created by God. And this week we see that each person is given the gift of freedom so that they may realize the fullness of their lofty nature. What, then, are the implications for a society that believes in freedom as a God-given right?There is one way to measure it—to see the extent to which a society truly values dignity and freedom. Fyodor Dostoevsky has a theory:  “The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”  —Fyodor Dostoevsky,  The House of the Dead There are times when people need to be incarcerated for the protection of society and themselves. But once they are there, the manner in which we treat them discloses the extent to which we actually believe in these foundational God-given rights. And sadly, all too often throughout the history of the world, societies with high-minded values have abandoned them once people have broken the law. The early 20th-century French philosopher, mystic, and activist Simone Weil has a compelling, confusing, and penetrating analysis. As a mystic she drew from several religious traditions, but at that one moment she felt like she was taken over by the presence of Jesus and fell on her knees and describes it as a fusion of love and suffering. She had a deep understanding of the power of the human spirit to find its true center through contemplation, humility, and openness. Her soul was acutely aware of the nature of human degradation. “ There is one thing and only one thing in modern society more hideous than crime,” she writes, “namely repressive justice. ” She was not categorically against punishment nor imprisonment, but rather its implementation—not because of who they are or what they have done, for better or for worse, but because of the God who created them. The entire Bible might be summed up thusly: God’s plan to restore humanity to its intended glory. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus died for every single person; God does not give up. And this means that when freedom is curtailed through punishment, it must always have a restorative intent, to match God’s intent. It is like that cloisonné lamp I spoke of last week that my mother painstakingly restored. I failed to mention that it was infested with insects and had been painted over many times. It was hard work that took years for her to restore that lamp—and now it is a thing of beauty. Can we, in any good conscience, say that a human life is worth less effort? Clearly, Jesus did not think so. At the beginning of His ministry, He unfurls the scroll of Isaiah: “ I have come to release prisoners. ” But His intention was not to open the doors of jails but the prison of our minds and souls. There is a prison in South Korea—Somang Prison—founded by MyungsungPresbyterian Church, the only private and Christian-run penitentiary in Asia, that takes command from Jesus, “ to visit those in prison, ” with utmost seriousness and miraculous results. Christianity Today  tells the story of a prototypical inmate, Somang Cho. Cho saw how God’s grace had sustained him even when he wasn’t seeking God. “I came to prison as a wounded avenger, full of rage and bitterness, ” Cho said.  “God’s grace is transforming me into a wounded healer—someone whose scars can bring hope to others.” Somang seeks the restoration of its inmates based on the belief that Jesus can bring real change, according to warden Kim Young-sik. The prison encourages reconciliation first with God, then with their families, and finally with the wider community. “Punishment may restrain behavior temporarily, but restoration asks something much harder—whether a person is willing to take responsibility, confront the harm they’ve caused, and begin repairing broken relationships.” Prison guards call prisoners by their names—or “brother”—rather than by their identification numbers. Kim, the warden, said the practice reflects a Christian understanding of human dignity. Calling inmates by name affirms that they are people before they are offenders. He often returns to Psalm 22:22—“ I will declare Your name to My brethren ” (NKJV)—as a reminder of how he understands his role: serving men who temporarily wear prison uniforms but whom he regards as brothers in Christ. The recidivism rate is around 6%, compared to 21% for the rest of the prisons in South Korea. So even though the inmates’ bodies are not free, this prison strives to ensure that their minds and souls are. This prison reminds me of Jesus’ words on liberty:  “When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” Thanks be to God for the freedom that he gave me, for the freedom that he gave you. May each of us devote ourselves, in our homes and in our lives, to bringing God’s freedom to the hearts of all.

Genesis 2:4b-9; Psalm 139:13-18 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8b Almost 4000 years ago, an ancient creation myth known as the  Epic of Enuma Elish  from ancient Babylon tells us the story of a cosmic battle between Marduk, Tiamat,and Kingu. Marduk is the victor, and out of Tiamat’s carcass he fashions the heavens and the Earth, and from Kingu’s blood humans spring forth to serve as slaves of the gods. To speak against the culture of the times, the sons and daughters of Sarah and Abraham told a different story:  in the image of God he created them . In Babylon, humans were meant to be slaves to the gods; practically, this meant being tied in life and in death to the King. And sadly, despite the great truth that Genesis declared, for generations upon generations, supposed Christian kings exercised their authority more in the manner of the ancient Babylonian kings rather than the truth as told in scripture. This carried forward for over 1000 years. “ The royal throne is not the throne of a man, but the throne of God himself. Royal authority is sacred. To attack the person of the king is sacrilege. ”— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and court theologian to Louis XIV “ Kings are justly called gods, for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power on earth; and the state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth. Kings are the authors and makers of the laws, and not the laws of the kings… for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called gods. ”— James I of England before Parliament, 1610 In the medieval world, peoples’ life belonged not to themselves but to the king or queen. Into this maelstrom, what has been called the greatest sentence in the English language, written by Jefferson, taking notes from John Locke, we read:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Even as I read this quote, I get chills from the depths of hope and promise that are contained in it. It is a message for all times and all places. Yet even as I read it, I also know that there are similar sentences that have been written throughout history, across time and place and people and continents. And yet humankind has always struggled against it. And just as this is (arguably) the greatest sentence in the history of the English language, it also contains the greatest tragic irony. Jefferson had hundreds of slaves that he never set free. John Calvin was right—there is no part of the human creature that is not tainted by sin, even the best part of ourselves, as Jefferson disclosed. Thus, two hundred years later, Dr. King thundered forth regarding this grand sentence written by Jefferson: “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds”. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.” In the midst of this illustrious speech, Dr. King showed that he believed in the American dream and America’s power to live into it. For the next three weeks, we shall be exploring these three divine rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We will examine them from a biblical perspective to clearly see what they mean within our Christian context. And we begin today with the right to life. A country of knowledge tells us that her life belongs to us, not to the state and not to the church. From a faith perspective, we would use different language than right to life; it is more properly understood as the gift of life, which belongs not to us but to God. And indeed, it is a marvelous gift. Unlike other creatures, we learn in the second chapter of Genesis that when God forms the human out of clay, God gives life by breathing into this creature. In Hebrew, the word for breath and the word for spirit—ruach—are the same. And so among all the living creatures of the earth, God uniquely breathes into us the divine spirit. Next, the Bible teaches us that there is something awesome and wonderful about the way in which God creates us. Psalm 139 describes us thusly:  “For you formed my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Marvelous are your works, and I know this very well.” The psalmist recognizes that he is wonderful. God’s works are marvelous, and he is one of those works. And this means our gift of life should be met with a profound sense of self-worth. I am something amazing and unique and wonderful. You are something amazing, unique, and wonderful. We should be able to accept this about ourselves. It is not a source of pride in ourselves. It is a source of pride in the God who made us. And as with any gift — it calls for a response. Some strains within Christianity insist that that requirement is faith, and that if you do not have it, God is going to discard you into hell. Another strain tells us that we have to earn this honor of eternal life from God through doing good deeds, being morally upright, and giving to the church. And if we accumulate enough of these good points, then God will accept us, for we will be deemed worthy. This is all too often the subconscious approach that hard-driven people—like many of us—tell ourselves. We must earn our way; we must prove our worth. But the Presbyterian tradition teaches that our response neither adds nor subtracts to our worth. And therefore, all that is left is thanksgiving — a life filled with gratitude. We seek to be obedient not so that God will like us more, but because we want to please this God whose love is so generous. Our purpose given by God is as lofty as our creation. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” We are blessed to live in a country that recognizes our life is our own, because this gives us a chance to freely offer it—not out of compulsion to the state, not out of compulsion to the church. We are free to devote our life to God in Jesus Christ for good works. And I believe that in our times, those good works now have a special dimension. In an age of brutality from the harsh conditions of life and the harsh rule of the church and the king, Dante Alighieri wrote in  The Divine Comedy :  “Consider your origin. You are not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.” These words remind us that we are not mere animals driven by instinct and the need for food and satisfying personal pleasures. God has endowed us with a higher plane of knowledge, and we should strive to rise above the baser instincts, not to be pulled down into the muck. It is incumbent upon people of faith to elevate the discourse in our society—to show them a different way of treating others;To use knowledge not as a hammer that destroys but as a tool that builds. To recognize not only does every person have the right to life in this country, but from the faith perspective they have a right to something more because of the God who created them. Dignity. Dignity is owed to every human being always, no exceptions, for when we fail to treat others with dignity, we degrade all humanity; we demean the God who created them, and we become the evil we seek to overcome. The best teacher is Jesus Himself. There are people in this world who do despicable things. People who commit crimes and find themselves in prison. There are vexatious people who drive you mad. None of these people can change their created nature, and none of them can erase the dignity they are owed as children of God. Paul does a most excellent job of explaining Jesus’ call in his letter to the Romans: “ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” Instead, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The right to life a radical change from ancient times and medieval times. But you and I know something deeper, each person is a dignity not because of their actions but because of the God who made them. Amen.

Deuteronomy 5:6-21 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8b   Just as the Constitution of this United States established our country under the rule of law, so did the 10 Commandments establish the descendants of Abraham as the nation of Israel. Before Abraham’s descendants moved to Egypt because of a famine, they were a small tribe of people. So, the only laws they knew were the ones the Pharaoh forced on them. These commandments were meant to create a just society, unlike that which they had known under the Pharaoh’s rule. You shall not kill. The Pharaoh would kill whenever he decided it was best. But human life belongs to God. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Traditionally, you might remember that commandment as  you shall not lie , as if this commandment were about telling children to always tell the truth. And of course, children should tell the truth. But this commandment is about something much more fundamental to a just society. Notice the wording. The Hebrew could have simply read, “ You shall not lie .” But instead, it reads “ Bear false witness .” That is, you shall not go before a judge and tell a lie in order to get your neighbor imprisoned. This commandment is about preventing unjust imprisonment. And then there is the commandment concerning the Sabbath: “ On the seventh day you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. ” This commandment is about a call to worship God, but it is also a gift of rest. Under Pharaoh’s rule, you would be worked seven days a week—and sometimes worked to death. Rest is a divine gift from God. Throughout history, we see this need to reassert the rule of law and reforge a just society. Five hundred years ago, there was a movement in Europe. The human tendency toward tyranny had once again reared. Not only the tyranny of the king, but the tyranny of the church. These dual powers were unjustly ruling people’s bodies and people’s souls. And when eventually some of them landed on this continent, and by the late 1700s, they sought to create a church that would protect itself from the tyrannical powers they had fled—and from the tyranny of the human heart—by limiting and separating power. In this new church, there would be no pope who could declare God’s truth all on his own. No one could dictate what another person should believe. “ God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men .” (Westminster Confession) In this new church, there would be no bishop ruling over congregations and telling them who their pastors would be. “ The election of the persons to the exercise of this authority, in any particular society, is in that society. ” (Book of Order) In other words, you—the people—vote for your pastor. In this new church, the pastor of the local congregation would not have authority to control what happened in the church. Rather, the people—all of you—elect elders from among yourselves to make the governing decisions for your congregation. Not the preachers. But the people of this new Presbyterian church did not want these principles woven only into their community of faith. They wanted them woven into their society as well. If you look at the founding values of our country and those of our denomination, you will see a great deal of resonance. In 1788, one year before our country ratified a Constitution, Presbyterians gathered in Philadelphia. They were led by Presbyterian pastor, U.S. congressman, and Princeton University president John Witherspoon, and by our founding pastor, John Rogers. In fact, John Witherspoon was a professor of James Madison at Princeton. Madison even stayed an extra year to learn Hebrew and political philosophy from Witherspoon. We can see Madison was clearly influenced by these ideas in the Constitution. That wonderful Ken Burns documentary about the founding of America pointed out that these founders were attempting to do something rarely, if ever, tried before in the history of the world: replacing a monarchy with a democracy. But the influence goes back much further than the Reformation. The roots begin in the 10 Commandments. The founding principles of our denomination, the Constitution of the United States, and the Ten Commandments all establish a people by the rule of law. And just as Deuteronomy recognized that even the king had to follow the law, and just as the pastor must follow the Book of Order, the principle within our land is that the law applies equally to everyone. Of course, it was not only Presbyterians saying these things. John Adams declared that America must be a government of laws. Alexander Hamilton argued that the Constitution places the law above rulers. But the laws on their own are not enough. They have never been enough. For four hundred years, the descendants of Abraham had been enslaved in the land of Egypt. They knew what it was to not receive the fruits of their labor. They knew the whip. They knew what it was to be worked to death. They knew tyranny and injustice, and they knew the false gods of the Pharaoh. But then, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great power and profound compassion, the Lord delivered them and brought them to a land of promise. But before God allowed them to enter into the Promised Land, they were brought to Mount Sinai, where they received this profound gift of the Law, the greatest gift any people had received up to that point in history. For God knows the human heart. And the human heart, as history shows us, yearns for freedom and justice—but tragically, when we get it, all too often we become the tyranny we sought to escape. Knowing this about the beloved human creation, God gave Israel a tool to learn how to live better, to learn how not to repeat the enslaving tendencies of the Pharaoh. This is why we see a certain phrase repeated throughout the early books of the Old Testament. God reminds them, remember, you were slaves in the land of Egypt. Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember what it was like in Pharaoh’s land, under Pharaoh’s thumb. So Deuteronomy tries to prevent the repeat of a Pharaoh-type person. The seventeenth chapter notes that even the king must obey the law: “ [The king] shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes. ” So the law must apply to everyone equally. Tragically, even as our denomination was founded upon the just rule of law and the shared created nature of all humans, we did not apply this equally to all people. Tragically, even as our country was founded as a land of freedom and equality, it didn’t apply equally to everyone. So even though the law moves us forward to justice, it is not enough. It will never be enough, because the human heart is broken. The founders of our country knew this as well. “ Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ” — John Adams (1798) Two hundred fifty years ago, this nation was founded as an inspired experiment, and ever since it has been filled with triumphant successes and tragic failures. Back then, it was a call for freedom and independence, but I believe hope for our country now lies on a different path. When I was taught to memorize the 10 Commandments, the first one was “ You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him .” But later I learned the Jewish people count them differently, and that difference is fundamental—and, I think, better. Their first commandment is not an instruction, but a reminder: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. This tells us the nature of the lawgiver—that the rules that follow are based on a God of freedom. A God of freedom who acts in history to bring justice and hope to the downtrodden and the oppressed. And it is on that basis that God wants the people to listen. The Pharaoh’s laws were enforced through fear, for the benefit of the Pharaoh and for the monuments to his legacy—the pyramids. But God’s laws are given not for the benefit of God, but for the benefit of the people, out of love. The Lord Jesus showed us how far we should go to reflect this love. He charged us to love everyone. Our society is trying to teach us to hate each other and to presume that those who think differently than we do are evil and selfish. Jesus taught us that we all have sin inside of us. He reminded us, before you try to grab that splinter out of your neighbor’s, get the log out of your own. But he not only talked about this, he went out and he lived it. And so many years later, Abraham Lincoln reminded us: “ I am tolerant of all religions… and as far as my system of religion goes, it is the doctrine of doing to my neighbor as I would that he should do to me. ” — Abraham Lincoln The gift of the law is profound, but the gift of love is what will change the world. I pray that each of us will take Jesus’ words to heart and love our neighbor and love our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen.

Deuteronomy 1:9-17, I Peter 2:9-10 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8b The biblical notion of “we the people” began as Israel was journeying through the wilderness, making their way to the Promised Land. Moses was wary of bearing the burden of the people all by himself, so through God’s command and Moses’ instruction each tribe selected leaders from amongst them. This was on the governance side. In the sacred sphere, the temple was ruled by the priestly class, and they reserved sole authority for the remission of sins through ritual sacrifices. It is through this that change began. When Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross, this was understood to be the  one sufficient sacrifice for all time . The priests were no longer needed to mediate between God and people. The change was so profound that 1 Peter 2:9 refers to the people as “ a royal priesthood .” Each person now was viewed as a priest and a king! This is how it was in the church for the first few hundred years. But  over time  and especially upon the establishment of Christianity under Emperor Constantine in  325 A.D. , a priestly class emerged again. For the next  hundreds  of years, the Western church came to understand itself as the sole dispenser of God’s divine grace through the sacraments. To manage control, the church codified the process of becoming a priest, banned certain classes from serving in the priesthood—such as women—and eventually formed boards of  the  Inquisition to root out heresy. The Reformation was largely a rebellion against the entrenched authority in the Church. Through certain readings of scripture, authority of the king and the priest was thought to be ordained by God and therefore could not be contested by the people. It was the power of Scotsmen like Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon that helped empower the colonists to rebel. We spoke about him a few weeks ago. He was a professor of James Madison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Second Continental Congress, and eventually served on over one hundred congressional committees. He was born in Scotland and, when he came to America, brought with him Scottish Common Sense philosophy. Its ideals are founded upon natural law and natural rights, and therefore the people have the right to rise up against their oppressors. We can easily see these Scottish notions woven into the fabric of our country through Witherspoon’s influence on James Madison, his pupil and architect of the Constitution. But Scottish Common Sense philosophy also had common sense. It did not have a utopian notion that if suddenly the people had the opportunity to do everything, the world would fix itself. No—part of Witherspoon’s Calvinism included a strong doctrine of the sinfulness of humanity and our ability to rationalize and abuse power. Thus, the people governed, but they did so with an eye toward minimizing the power of any one individual, so as to preserve the power of the people. This was over and against the Anglican Church and what it was advocating. Unsurprisingly, being the Church of England, some of them advocated for Christianity to be the official religion, for the people to be taxed in order to finance the church, and they emphasized an episcopal form of church government, which appoints bishops with explicit sacerdotal and governance rights that the people do not have. On the other hand, embedded in our historic church principles—written in part by Brick Church’s founding pastor, John Rogers—not only does it tell us that God alone is Lord of the conscience, which I have told you many times, but it goes on to say: Therefore, we consider the rights of private judgment in all matters that respect religion as universal and unalienable. We do not even wish to see any religious constitution aided by the civil power further than may be necessary for protection and security, and at the same time equal and common to all others. As a result of John Witherspoon’s and other Presbyterians’ influence, there was a sentiment back in the motherland that the Presbyterians were to blame. In fact, Joseph Galloway, a former colonial leader, said, “ the rebellion is a Presbyterian war .” Prime Minister Horace Walpole, in 1774, famously remarked, “ Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson .” Finally, it is thought that King George III called it “ that Presbyterian rebellion .” As we have come to understand our history, we can now assess the power of the notion “We the people,” through a Christian lens, and its repercussions for our faith today. It begins most powerfully with your divine right to speak directly to God. We need no mediator other than Christ our Lord. This means that no other person has the ability todictate or control your eternal fate. That is between you and God. Next, we see how “we the people” practically manifests in our congregation. You,the people, elect the leaders over you, namely the elders. This is drawn from the tradition that Moses began in our Deuteronomy passage! There is a foundational belief that the community, discerning together under the Spirit, is wiser than any one individual. There is a compelling example pointed out in the book  The Wisdom of Crowds  by James Surowiecki. He tells the true story of a county fair contest in which the people are invited to guess the weight of a large steer. All types of people participated—from little children walking by, to veterinarians who worked with these animals daily, to farmers who lived alongside them, to average fairgoers like you or me. When all the guesses were averaged together, the crowd as a whole was closer to the real answer than any one individual—better than the veterinarian, better than the farmer. But this approach is not mere practicality. It is something that we Presbyterians believe God folded into the fabric of creation. Since we are all bearers of God’s image,we are all owed the dignity of a voice, and we all owe others a listening ear. And we believe this because this is what scripture tells us. And the fight for the power of the people to be able to read the Bible and have accurate translations was so critically important that people risked everything; people like William Tyndale. A fifteenth-century unknown priest and scholar, William Tyndale, was educated at Oxford and Cambridge; he was influenced by the Renaissance and wanted to translate the Bible into English. He was denied this right by the church and so decided to flee from England to Europe. His translation was smuggled back into England through Germany in bales of cloth and goods. Eventually, he was deemed a heretic. It was not simply the act of translating the Bible into English that got him into the deepest trouble, though it was banned. It was certain choices of translation that are particularly germane to our topic of “We the People.” The Greek word  presbuteros  was traditionally translated as priest, but Tyndale chose elder. The Greek word  ecclesia  was traditionally translated as church, but he chose congregation. The Greek word  metanoia  was translated as do penance, whereas he chose repentance. Let’s take these one at a time. Perhaps that word  presbuteros  sounds somewhat familiar to you, since we are in the Brick Presbyterian Church. Our church—Presbyterian—is named after the fundamental understanding that the elders, that is, the people, have authority. The church at the time was threatened because translating  presbuteros  as elder rather than priest meant the New Testament was not talking about priests—that is, a specific class of people who had sole rights for remitting sins. An elder has no sacerdotal authority, no high priestly calling that only he or she can fulfill. Next, this was compounded by translating  ekklesia  as “congregation” rather than “church.” “Church” referred to the institution, giving the church institution the power rather than the congregation—that is, the people. Finally, Tyndale translated  metanoia  as “repent” rather than “do penance.” Penance was a specific process codified by the Church and validated through priestly instruction. You would go to the priest, confess your sins, and they would give you the pathway of penance to have those sins remitted. Repentance, on the other hand, is something individuals do. Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into English codified the power of “we the people” into Scripture, using proper and accurate translations—rather than the power of the priest and the institutional church. Tyndale is owed our deepest thanks. He lived as a fugitive for years in Antwerp, continuing his translation of the Hebrew Scriptures until, in 1535, he was betrayed by an agent, Henry Phillips. Phillips had found himself in Europe after having absconded with his family’s money. He was paid a hefty sum to pose as a Lutheran sympathizer and ingratiated himself with locals and eventually betrayed Tyndale. He was arrested near Brussels, imprisoned for over a year, and in 1536 William Tyndale was tried for heresy, defrocked, strangled, and burned at the stake. His last words were, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.” The power of prayer cannot be overestimated. A few years after Tyndale’s murder, Henry VIII authorized a translation into English, known today as the “Matthew Bible.” It is clear this translation heavily relied on Tyndale’s work. Tyndale gave everything so that today you and I can read a Bible that discloses God’s true intentions. Each one of you, all of us, are a “ royal priesthood ,” given the power of priests and kings, with the profound privilege to go directly to God and given the profound responsibility to lift up our voice. Amen.

Genesis 1:26-28, Romans 8:18-21 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8b We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.  (Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776) It was about a year ago that I set out the list of founding principles upon which to preach during the 250th anniversary of our country. At the time, these topics seemed rather straightforward and simple to preach, and I typed up some notes. Late Monday, I pulled them out and realized that today’s topic far outstrips what I could possibly address in a single sermon. In fact, I think it contains something of the glory of humankind and the tragic narrative that carries through all of history. The foundation of our equality is given to us from the account of creation in Genesis. We are God’s creation. Because we are made by a holy and perfect God, we are endowed with worth. In fact, all of God’s creation has intrinsic value since God declares all of it “very good.” But on its own this fact does not necessarily make all of God’s creation equal. It is also in Genesis that we learn something unique about humans; we were created in the image of God. Humans not only have the divine imprint as does all creation, but we have the divine within us, a holy spark, a spirit. This realization was a great leap forward for humankind. Up to this point it was simply assumed that God liked some people more than others; that there were superior and inferior people. Listen to a few of these quotes: “From the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.”  Aristotle —  Politics , Book I “The drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be. ” —  What Social Classes Owe to Each Other  (1883) William Sumner “If they are not sufficiently complete to live, they die, and it is best they should die.”  Herbert Spencer—  Social Statics  (1851) But Genesis tells us that every single human being to ever have lived has that holy spark. Furthermore, God has made each person not as from an assembly line. In Psalm 139 we hear, “ you formed my inward parts… I am fearfully and wonderfully made. ” This suggests that God crafts human beings with tender care. And the apostle Paul tells us each one of us is given a gift of the Spirit for the common good. We all have something important to contribute that is uniquely our own, and we all share a holy nature, and finally and most importantly, God thought each and every one of us was of sufficient worth to die for. “ For God so loved the world! ” John 3:16, and in Romans Paul declares, “ one act of righteousness leads to justification for all. ” Indeed, all of us are created equal, but then the world works hard to change that. Even people of profound insight have failed to live into these truths. Jefferson himself called slavery a hideous blot and moral depravity but failed to free those 600 men and women he enslaved. This is the internal struggle that we all have to a greater or lesser degree. As the Apostle Paul lamented: “ For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ” (Romans 7:18-19) “All are created equal.” While Jefferson claimed that this truth is self-evident, and I believe it is, what we mean by equal is much more complicated. Certainly, we are not all equal in ability, because if we were, I would be playing for the New York Knicks as their starting point guard or acting in the latest  Mission: Impossible  movie. We are not all equal in intellect, nor are we all equal in the station of life into which we enter. The concept of equality is not simple or self-evident from the world in any empirical sense. In fact, it is the nebulous nature of it that enables the rational human mind to be taken over by its animal and sinful nature. And so we see, all throughout history, societies claiming their God-given rights in heroic determination. But all too often they become corrupted by power and consumed by revenge. The French Revolution became the Reign of Terror. The Russian worker emancipation became Stalinist totalitarianism. The Khmer Rouge of Cambodia sought agrarian equality and turned it into mass genocide. What is needed, then, is a system of thought and a foundational undergirding that completely eliminates any patriarchal notion that people are better off being controlled by somebody else. And this not only applies to the heinous sin of slavery, but to virtually every interaction that we have on a daily basis with people. The challenge is to take this notion of equality and embed practicality into our system of government. This was the intention of pastors like John Witherspoon in teaching James Madison moral and political philosophy. It was the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, contemporary with the American Revolution, who I believe gives the strongest argument. It is founded upon our uniqueness as a species. Animals can only act according to instinct and are governed by their natural impulses. But humans are endowed with reason; we can act contrary to our inclinations. Kant argues that our rational capacity gives us inherent dignity and intrinsic worth. And because of this (and this is the critical point), we can never have any moral justification for treating another person as a means to an end. People are ends in and of themselves. This means not even lying to somebody, even if we think we’re trying to manipulate them into doing something that’s good for themselves, because it is robbing them of their own autonomy and stripping them of their dignity. Since all are endowed with this unique capacity of rationality, we must have complete and utter freedom to exercise it. This is the most powerful and dangerous gift God has given the human species: free will. With that free will we can do great evil. But without free will we cannot do good; we would only be animals acting on instinct. But free will gives us the chance to trust and to love. This freedom is embedded in our constitution as Presbyterians: “ God alone is Lord of the conscience and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men .” Each person must be free to choose faith or not. This freedom and equality of persons has been embedded in our country through the First Amendment. Since God has given us free will and rational capacity, we must have the right to exercise that through freedom to choose our religion, through freedom to vote, and through freedom to speak what is on our mind. These are the foundational laws in our land that recognize the equality of persons. Thus, when we denied the vote to women, to the enslaved, and those without property,we failed to fully recognize their humanity and therefore their equality. These freedoms respect each person’s sacred spark and offer dignity through self-determination. We know that God created all people equally and granted them the right to life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As we look back on the history, we see that virtually every people that knew this not only moved us forward as a species but also held us back. And it makes me wonder about our time. For surely, we’re not wiser than Thomas Jefferson, we don’t have keener insight than the apostle Paul, and most of us will never know the faithfulness of Abraham and Sarah. We conclude this week the same place as last week. In light of the inherent worth of every single person, God calls us to action, and so we look to Jesus. We look at His example that shows us how to treat others with dignity and respect. You remember that tax collector, Zacchaeus; nobody liked tax collectors in those days. But Jesus gave him dignity by sitting at a table with him while acknowledging him as a fellow son of Abraham. You remember that woman that the crowd wanted to stone for breaking the law; Jesus stepped in the middle, risking His own life to preserve hers. You remember the Syrophoenician woman, a foreigner; she needed help for her daughter, and Jesus gave it. All are created equal, all are cherished by God, and God gave each person freedom so that they would be free to love. Jesus showed us how to make these concepts reality. With God’s help, may we go out and do the same. Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on March 8, 2026. God of all creation, your word declares how good and pleasant it is when kindred dwell together in unity. We feel the power of this truth every Sunday morning when we gather to sing hymns of praise, to bow our heads as one in prayer to you.  May you give us keen eyes to see the holy in others and offer a word of thanksgiving to bridge  the gap of separation.  We now give thanks for the unity we know with one another.   Though we are called to unity the world is fractured and so we pray that you will intercede and bring peace to—Sudan, Venezuela, Iran, Afghanistan, and so many more. We especially ask that you protect the civilians in all of these conflicts and help those who lead to do so with wise and clear hearts.   Two hundred and fifty years ago, our country aspired to create something new in the history of the world: a land founded upon the equality of all people and the hope of creating a more perfect union.    Be with our elected leaders—the mayor, the governor, and the President of the United States. Be with those who enforce the laws, that they may do so with justice tempered with compassion. Be with all the judges whose unenviable task makes the difference between a land that is unjust and a land that has lost its way. May they feel our prayers. May they seek only the truth and not be swayed by self-interest or by the powers that seek to tip the scales. We pray for peace and justice in the world.   Where you would have us listen, may our hearts be open. Where you would have us speak, may we only speak the truth and do so in love. And where you would have us sacrifice, may we be willing to do so after the manner of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; whose act of love recreated one humanity by your grace and your love. Amen.

The kind of unity that Scripture has just described to us is not an anything-goes, throw-up-your hands sort of tolerance. It’s not the sort of equivocation that pretends evil doesn’t exist – Paul is very clear on this – nor is it the sort of nihilism that claims truth can’t be known and personal opinion is all that matters. As our readings today tell us, unity requires justice, and it requires us  not  to match evil with evil.     In a moment, the choir will sing  Chichester Psalms  by Leonard Bernstein. Written in 1965, it has three movements, each of which includes text from two different psalms, all of them sung in Hebrew. The first movement, centered around Psalm 100, “O be joyful in the Lord,” is indeed full of boisterous rejoicing. Its exuberance is actually a bit over-the-top, a bit manic, just a bit  much . It conveys joy, all right, but a kind of oblivious joy, a joy that doesn’t acknowledge the presence of sorrow, a joy that borders perhaps on overconfidence. With the second movement we get a cinematic cut to a different world: a soprano solo accompanied by harp. This combination of instruments and voice suggests a young King David singing and playing – perhaps suggesting the very moment where he sat down and composed the Twenty-Third Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The music swells as the sopranos and altos join in, repeating the last line as a kind of refrain. But Into this peaceful, naïve word comes a violent shout from the tenors and basses, followed by ominous muttering. These are the words of Psalm 2, “Why do the nations so furiously rage together? … The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed.” The Lord’s anointed, of course, is David himself, and Bernstein suggest that there may be something autobiographical about these words. Then something extraordinary happens. While the tenors and basses continue furiously raging, the sopranos enter again with their opening melody. Bernstein writes in the scorethe heartbreaking phrase, “blissfully unaware of threat.” The competing visions of peace and violence don’t interact with each other; instead, they’re heard in parallel, superimposed one on the other. It seems like the Twenty-Third Psalm will win out, until at the very end we hear a chilling, ghostly death-rattle – the raging of the nationsreturning again in the organ and percussion, in the distance, without words, ending with a massive strike on the bass drum like a burst of gunfire. The second movement offers no resolution to this conflict, no answers given, but now we are very much aware of the presence and the power of evil in the world. The third movement begins with an extended prelude for solo organ in C minor – thesame key that Beethoven famously used for his most serious music, including his Fifth Symphony. This passage represents an idea that Bernstein returned to over and over again– the failure of high art to solve the world’s problems.  There is a famous quotation from Bernstein that gets posted online every so often: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” It comes from an address Bernstein made at Madison Square Garden immediately after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, at a time when the nation was reeling. And Bernstein did indeed do his best to make music more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before, but he knew very well that those words were somewhat hollow. Bernstein dramatizes how pouring more intensity, more complexity, more intellectualism, more emotional grief, into art  fails  to break through. We try to emulate what we think of as the great figures of the past – Bernstein tries to measure up to Beethoven, and our present selves try to measure up to Bernstein – but we find we can’t. Bernstein’s anguished C minor music keeps losing energy, changing tempo, stalling out on painfully dissonant intervals in the organ. The breakthrough instead comes with a radical reframing, a change of key, and the words of Psalm 131, “Lord, Lord, I am not high minded; I have no proud looks.” At this point the tenors and basses sing a beautiful melody in G major that is then taken up by everyone. But it’s not really developed, in the sense that it doesn’t go anywhere. It’s not changed; it simply repeats, and as it is repeated, we live in this world of inner stillness and beauty, until the text runs out and the whole choir continues singing this melody together on a wordless “Ah” – the song of the heart. At the very end come the words of Psalm 133, “Oh how good and pleasant it is for kindred to dwell together in unity.” Bernstein’s music tells us that to live in a more perfect union requires neither empty toleration, nor partisan strife, but a faithful, active process of opposing hate with love, arrogance with humility, power with gentleness. This is the counterintuitive method that Paul instructs us. In Jewish worship, the text of Psalm 133 is used at the beginning of services, but Bernstein puts it at the end. Perhaps Bernstein is telling us that when we reach the end of this emotional journey in  Chichester Psalms , when we arrive at the final measures of music, it is just then, in stillness and peace, that our worship is able properly to begin.