I read a story about three close friends who served during the French Revolutionary War. One of them tragically died during the war. His death was heartbreaking to his friends. With permission granted, they brought the body to a quiet Churchyard. But the priest said no, they couldn’t bury the soldier in the church cemetery because he wasn’t Catholic. The two young men were disappointed and did what they thought was the next best thing: they buried him in the field next to the churchyard fence.
The next day, they returned to put a stone on the grave, but couldn’t find evidence of the grave. They ran to the church office and asked the priest if he knew anything. The response from the priest was, “I was up all night, thinking about the love you have for your friend to bring him here for his last place of rest. I tossed and turned until I decided what to do. I called a few brothers, and in the night, we moved the fence.” The priest realized that love is bigger than the man-made rules of the church.
Rules and dogmas are walls that keep us inside or outside a group, be it a religious group, private club, or government. Sometimes, they are tools to allow or prevent selected people from entering or leaving. Rules shouldn’t divide us, but they do. Our country has put up fences/walls to control who comes in, which is a responsible thing to do, but when we are not honest and establish rules that favor one group over another, that can bring division. Divisions separate us, but diversity brings richness and harmony.
When we settle for ‘tradition’ without considering the time of the day, it puts us back rather than moves us forward. Tradition divides us. In the Book of Revelations when Jesus said, ‘I am the beginning and the end. Behold, I will make all things new; old ways of approaching things shall pass away.’
We might ask, ‘What is causing these divisions in the life of the Body of Christ?
In our Revelations reading, John offers a passage we often hear at burials. The image of death having been vanquished, of mourning and crying being no more, and the powerful image of God wiping away every tear, followed by the declaration that God is making all things new. One of those new things is undoubtedly how we experience one another together, our many diverse gifts, and the God who made us all part of this 'new thing.’ We desperately need to hear those words every day.
If we begin to think about people who differ from us in race, culture, class, etc., and have made a difference in our world, then we must acknowledge that diversity is a gift from God. This will give us a different point of view toward the experiences of our country’s history. If we have turned people away from us because we don’t have anything in common, it means we are turning away from what God wants to do. God has everything mapped out, and he continues making new things daily.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is an excellent example of how rules and traditions can change and align with the work of the Holy Spirit.
Peter went up from Judea to Jerusalem. This was just about when the disciples started mobilizing followers for the work ahead of them. Until now, they were not confident of mingling with other groups outside their own. You see – they were an ethnic and religious minority who had figured out how to live exclusively with the past ethnic groups they were used to, and the Romans; they had learned how to survive in a hostile environment by keeping the Jewish Laws with distinct markers.
They were quick to build fences to provide security against intruders and form a unique community against those outside their cocoon. It is obvious that they didn’t know they were sending the wrong message about who they were, especially their mission.
Peter took the risk of the meager security that being Jewish provided; he had no idea until he had the vision. The details are stunning. All kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds were on a sheet. And the Holy Spirit tells him something contrary to his belief, that what he saw was not profane or unclean." That he shouldn’t discrimen ate, but accept all as the gift from God.
I can only imagine Jesus looking down and pulling his hair out and saying, ‘How could my disciples not get this teaching? ‘I commanded them to go into the world and make disciples of EVERY WILLING HEART to come to me.’ I taught them to be one as I and my Father are One.’ How could they keep out the same people I died for?
But Jesus also knows it takes more drama for his disciples, especially Peter, to get his teaching. Hence, Jesus uses the Holy Spirit alongside a non-Jewish soldier named Cornelius to open Peter’s eyes to get it. And finally, Peter got it.
Jesus could have used another disciple besides Peter, but he used someone outside—a non-Jew—to confirm his message, ‘BREAK DOWN THOSE WALLS, welcome everyone with an open heart.’ It’s no wonder their mission took off when they broke those walls. With the Holy Spirit, the gospel's message went far and deep and reached us.
What is the lesson here? What do we learn from the scriptures as we celebrate our Anglican heritage? How did we become a unified people of God called Anglicans?
Until the 16th century, the Anglican Church was Roman Catholic. The Roman Church was full of rules, dogma, and heresy. Any believer who did not accept the entire Dogmata of the Church was isolated from the Communion. That started Protestantism.
Most of you know the history of the Anglican Church/The Church of England: King Henry VIII (1509-1547) wanted an heir, but his queen could not give him one. He did what he thought was right to maintain the throne. He built a political fence between Rome and England. This political separation was the beginning of Anglicanism.
But the Holy Spirit is always standing by to turn wrong things into something positive. God raised people like the Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Luther, Calvin and many other reformers and missionaries, whose work forged the Anglican doctrine and identity. In the same era, other Protestant reformers emerged.
With the gift of the Book of Common Prayer, the liturgy was standardized. Translations to English and other languages became available. The Bible became available in every Church, not only for Clergy but for everyone. These changes had a lasting effect on religion in the United Kingdom and wherever the British flag flew - the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. (See p. 867 of BCP). When the U.S. colonies won their freedom in 1789, the Episcopal Church was established. That was the beginning of the American Episcopal Church.
Episcopal, or in Greek ‘episcopos,’ means ‘overseer’ – or a church ruled by Bishops and laity. Being part of the Anglican communion means our bishops worldwide attend the periodic Lambeth Conferences and vote on issues regarding spirituality and the form/ways of worship. The communion's different traditions and cultural layers give Anglicanism a flavor of diversity and beauty, breaking fences and building bridges when necessary.
Truth must be told, the body of Christ, the Anglican Church, including the Episcopal Church, has a history of slavery and some ugly stuff. Still, instead of building walls, it builds bridges to correct past mistakes and tear down the status quo. Racial Justice and Reconciliation are huge for the Anglican Communion in healing and reformation of the whole.
Jesus’ command at the Last Supper is to love one another and be one as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. The Anglican Communion does not take that command lightly. May we continue learn to love one another, walk in the light, continue to serve God in every human being, and, when we say, ‘EPISCOPAL CHURCH WELCOMES YOU,’ let’s say it with sincerity like we mean it. AMEN!