Sixth Pentecost
Proper 10 Year A
July 12, 2020
Romans 8: 1-11
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.
Due to the pandemic this year, the lights of Broadway have sadly gone dark. But last Friday, Disney+ (a pay-for-view streaming channel) offered a bright spot for those of us who love Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “Hamilton,” the biographical hip-hop show about founding father Alexander Hamilton. The movie was supposed to be released late next year (in 2021), but Disney took pity on the monotony of our pandemic life and released the film – which recorded the fabulous original Broadway cast - more than a year early.
The musical, based on Ron Chernow’s book, is the story of Alexander Hamilton’s life creatively scored to rap, hip hop, jazz and R&B music. It became a spiritual mission of sorts, for playwright and composer Lin-Manuel to tell Hamilton’s story, which began as an orphaned immigrant child to America, and ended with a bullet from Aaron Burr. The years in between, though, Hamilton used his visionary genius, his power of persuasion and his mighty pen to mold and shape the United States, both during the Revolutionary War and in the fragile and formative years after. It’s unimaginable, to me, how anyone could have the energy, the foresight, the conviction, the sheer genius to do all that Hamilton did – as not only a leader during the war, but also as the author of most of the Federalist Papers, as the first Secretary of the Treasury, as a voice against slavery, and so very much more. Hamilton had no crystal ball. No psychic reader. And yet, without question, he was one of America’s greatest visionaries.
It was with Hamilton’s music playing in the background all week that I was reflecting on our reading this morning from the Apostle Paul. Paul’s mission was not so different from Hamilton’s mission. You see, Paul, who wrote his letter to the Romans was undoubtably one of the forefathers – not of our country – but of our faith. And he is second only to Jesus in his contributions to developing Christianity. Of course, I would never sell the Holy Spirit short, but it’s entirely possible that you and I would not be here right now, were it not for Paul’s missionary travels, letter writing, and ministry.
Paul, as you know, was a student and teacher of the Jewish Talmud, a brilliant thinker and, before his dramatic conversion, a passionate persecutor of early Christians. After his conversion experience, he changed his name from Saul to Paul, and continued his fervent study, his preaching and his teaching. Most often, he wrote letters to churches in turmoil, holding up God’s purpose for Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And just like Hamilton, Paul wrote furiously – to quote the musical – “the man was Non-Stop!” His writings alone make up nearly 1/3rd of our New Testament, and includes letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and the Romans.
Paul’s letter to the Romans, portions of which we will read all the way until September!, was written to people he’d never even met before. And they had never met him, although I’m sure his reputation proceeded him. But for sure, this letter to the Romans was foundational. It was an organized overview of his theology. In a sense, (and in Hamilton’s terms) the letter to the Romans is like our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation all in one document! He desperately wanted the Romans to know how God accomplished his “rescue mission” through Jesus, and he wanted them and us to know that we are God’s children now. And because Christ’s Spirit now dwells in believers – dwells in us - sin no longer holds control over humanity. Which means that new life . . . abundant life . . . thanks to Jesus, can flourish in all of us. At the end of his letter, he lets the Romans know that he is praying for them, that he thinks of them often, and that he looks forward to being with them someday soon. Sadly, when he finally does arrive in Rome, he is immediately thrown into prison.
Now it’s fascinating to me to know that Paul composed and sent this letter to the Romans while very much separated from them. He wrote from afar, most likely from the Greek city of Corinth. But he also wrote at a time when the Roman Christians were also separated from each other, by something known as the Edict of Claudius, in the middle of the first century. At that time, the budding Christian church was thought to be a sect of the Jewish religion, and a threat to the Roman government. So the Jews were expelled from Rome, while the Gentiles remained in place and kept the church running. As you can imagine, different segments of the church had very different understandings of the faith and they were struggling to be in community with one another while distanced from each other. Paul’s mission was to get them on the same page. But from afar.
Of course the distance between Paul and his audience . . . between Paul and the developing Christian church hits pretty close to home right now. Especially as I stand here in the pulpit at St. Paul’s, with a church full of empty pews in front of me, looking into nothing more than a camera lens. I can certainly relate to that distance. I mean right now, I have no idea if anyone is even tuned in to this worship service or this sermon. On-line, our attention spans are short. It’s incredibly easy to scroll right on past our live broadcast. And yet (to quote Hamilton again), I know that it is time to “Rise up, rise up and take a shot.” Regardless of our separation, it’s time for me, just like Paul, to tell God’s story of our redemption through Jesus Christ. To remind myself and all of you that we are, indeed, God’s children now. And that as tempting as despair can be in our world right now, that new life . . . abundant life . . . thanks to Jesus can flourish in all of us.
So I will trust that God is using my – and all of our unique gifts to God’s glory. And I will hope that the words of Paul’s letter, of Matthew’s Gospel, of our prayers together from afar will encourage us today and in the days ahead. Yes, we are separate right now. And I, like Paul, pray for the time we can be back together, in person, but in the meantime that our faith will grow deep and strong, even amidst the strains of this time of pandemic.
So, if you are out there. If you are listening. (To combine the words of Hamilton and the Apostle Paul) Simply because we are apart, doesn’t mean that we should throw away our shot. Rise up! The Spirit of God dwells in you. Rise up! and set your mind on the Spirit’s life and peace. Rise up! The God who raised Christ from the dead gives you life as well. Amen.
