07/072024 ~ Proper 9 ~ Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; Ezekiel 2:1-5; Psalm 123; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13 ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/980839203

In Pairs

“Then Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs,…” — Mark 6:7a.

Well here we are— people assembled for worship in the Meeting House completed in 1759. As many of you know, the first time the American Declaration of Independence was read in public in the town of Harpswell in 1776 it was read from the steps over which you trod to enter this Meeting House, to be in this gathering today.

I also need to note neither this building nor the 1843 building across the road should be called churches. Each of these buildings is a Meeting House, a place people gather to meet, especially for worship.

Church, the word, does not mean a building. Church means the people. Anyone who has gathered for this worship is now a part of this church, the people gathered, even if you are not, as we call it, joined the church, even if you are not member. Have you gathered for worship? You are church. (Slight pause.)

The people of this Congregation, this gathering, first called a minister, the Rev. Mr. Richard Pateshall, a Harvard graduate, in 1751 or 1753. The date depends on which source you consult. The bottom line: the Congregation predates this building.

For anyone who does not know, the current name of the Congregation refers to the Rev. Mr. Elijah Kellogg. He was a Bowdoin and Andover Newton Seminary graduate associated with this church and with this town starting in 1843.

A preacher of considerable renown, some of Kellogg’s notoriety was from the fact that he also wrote what we would today call young adult literature. Those books gained very wide popularity in the 1800s. (Slight pause.)

Occasionally people will ask me about the heritage of the Congregationalism. When that happens the question usually sounds like this: “You folks are a church but there are all kinds of churches. What’s the history? Where do you come from?”

I tell them: “This is the quick and dirty way to think about us. You’ve heard of Thanksgiving? Plymouth Rock? The Pilgrims? Think Pilgrims— you’ve got us.”

That’s quick and dirty because there at least two hours worth of nuances into which any competent academic could delve. Don’t worry; two hours of Congregational Church history is not on the agenda today. (Slight pause.)

Having mentioned both the Declaration of Independence and the origins of Congregationalism, let me address who Congregationalists are in another way. We are a democracy. Like any good democracy, we govern ourselves. Our structure is bottom up. Our structure is like a classic New England Town meeting. We are all entitled to participate.

To compare how Congregationalism works with a modern organizational chart, a pastor is not in charge, not a CEO, the kind of top-down autocracy found in some church structures. In the Congregational tradition a pastor is the chief theological officer.

Who’s in charge? We, the people of the congregation, we the people of the church, are in charge. We, the people of the church, decide who we want to be as a church gathered in this community.

To follow up on that chart idea, to whom and in what ways should people be responsible? We are all responsible to love, respect, cherish, hope for, uphold, embrace each other on our life journey and on our faith journey. (Slight pause.)

These words are found in the work known as Mark. “Then Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs,…” (Slight pause.)

That discussion about organization and Congregationalists sends us to the story from today’s Gospel. Perhaps the most important aspect is the humanness of it.

The story tells us there’s a human need for mutual support. It tells us we need to believe in one another, trust one another, hope for one another, support one another.

Don’t misunderstand me; some organization beyond mutual support is necessary. Being organized, following structures, rules, procedures, can be important.

But when we make structures, rules and procedures our only and exclusive criteria, we are not just missing the point. When that happens, we, the church here gathered, are abdicating our responsibility to ourselves to be engaged with one another.

Let me point out what I did not just say. I did not say by failing to engage in interpersonal relationship we fail each other.

I said by failing to engage in interpersonal relationship we are abdicating a responsibility to our own self. We are abdicating a responsibility to ourselves to be engaged with one another.

Further, in this responsibility to one another, there is a chronic way people fail at interpersonal relationships. It’s called tribalism. We see a distinct example of tribalism in today’s reading. Some people in one tribe can’t see Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ.
They fail to engage Jesus so they fail to engage in the reality of the Christ.

Further, the stories we heard in those two sections of the reading are inexorably intertwined. Why? Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs. Two by two they go, so they get to and need to rely on each other.

When they rely on each other what happens? They cast out demons, anoint the sick and heal. This is what really happened: having sound interpersonal relationships demands something from each disciple so they can give to each other. (Slight pause.)

The same is true for us. Having sound interpersonal relationship demands something of each of us. When that happens we can then give to each other. (Slight pause.)

All that bring us back to structure, rules. Structure and rules are what people most often use to defeat interpersonal relationships.

When structure and rules become primary we say things like, “We have to do things only this way because that’s what the rules say.” Rules never ask how can we accomplish goals of responsibility to each other, goals of respect, cherishing, hoping, embracing each other on our life journey, on our faith journey. (Pause.)

As you heard, the Declaration of Independence was read in public for the people of Harpswell for the first time in 1776 from the steps of this structure. Unlike the Constitution, the Declaration is not about structure.

The Declaration of Independence is about responsibility, the responsibility of people to people. And so, I want to repeat something I said in my comments in this Meeting House from this pulpit last year.

Despite the way our modern reading has it, the opening words of the Declaration about equality, life, liberty, the pursuit are not the most important words. I believe those who signed the document thought the words toward the end of the Declaration were of at least equal importance.

(Quote): “…for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (Slight pause.)

“…we mutually pledge… our Lives… our Fortunes… sacred Honor” The signers of the Declaration accepted, indeed, embraced communal responsibility, responsibility to each other. (Slight pause.) Amen.

07/07/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “Having mentioned the Declaration of Independence, I need to note the other founding document of this nation is the Constitution. While it’s largely about structure, the first words of the document are not. (Quote:) ‘We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…’ Please notice the challenge this presents to all of us. First, it starts with us, we the people. Second, we always and constantly need to strive toward the never ending process of being more perfect. And perhaps what being a community really demands is that we do need to work with one another and to work at it continually.”

BENEDICTION: Redeeming Sustainer, visit Your people; pour out Your courage upon us, that we may hurry to make welcome all people not only in our concern for others, but by serving them generously and faithfully in Your name. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.