July 5, 2020 - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - Re-membering and Remembered

Today's sermon was given by Pastor Melissa, one of Bishop Laurie's assistants, to the synod. She invited us to feel our feet on the ground. Her focus on our response in this country to the indigenous people was a welcome tonic to the Salute To America speeches given on July 3rd and 4th this year.

I did not recognize my America in the president's speeches this year. An America that indoctrinates our children to hate America is what the president described. He said "We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who, in many instances, have absolutely no clue what they are doing."

He also said "Our country will be united.  After all, what do we want?  We want a strong military, great education, housing, low taxes, law and order.  We want safety, we want equal justice, we want religious liberty, we want faith and family, and living in a great communities and happy communities and safe communities.  And we want great jobs and we want to be respected by the rest of the world; not taken advantage of by the rest of the world, which has gone on for decade after decade.  We should all want the same thing.  How can it be any different than those things?" I wonder if he thinks the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who have absolutely no clue what they are doing; feel the same about these things?

Pastor Melissa's sermon danced away from a dominating kind of hate to the gentle process of re-membering our community. When she invited us to feel out feet on the ground the title song of Oklahoma! came to mind. There is a corny American hope manifest in the opening introductory lyrics  "There's never been a better time to start in life - it ain't too early and it ain't too late! Starting as a farmer with a brand new wife - soon be living in a brand new state." Suddenly I was thinking of the brand new state of the nation that could be a possible future for us. 

The next words captured the dichotomy and choice we have  "Plen'y of air and plen'y of room to swing a rope!  Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope" suggests both. The song truly starts with the line "Oklahoma - where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain" where something in the wind will sweep the plain things in life.  The wind comes right behind the rain and creates a new land.

The song also clearly states, "We know we belong to the land".  This moves beyond our past, perhaps even current, American dream of owning land and a home.  It moves beyond ecological perspectives of the responsibilities of good stewardship.   "We know we belong to the land" declares mystical connections together with the material, physical connections with the land that need to be explored.  It asks, "What are the next American dreams that can inspire us, can make our communities and lives better, and can come true?"

This essentially spoke to me about what how process of re-membering indigenous and disenfranchised people could proceed in this country. And, for a moment, I allowed myself to dream.