Accompanying lectionary: http://www.ecsssj.org/member/show_lit.php?myid=23

Our Old Testament lesson today is from Isaiah.  Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Israel around the time that Israel was conquered by the Babylonians.  His writings sometimes condemn the leaders of Israel, and at other times comfort its people.  Today's reading is from the more optimistic and comforting portions of the book.  God is speaking to the downtrodden people of Israel, and promises that they will become a shining example of God's salvation to all the nations of the earth.

I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

Jesus picks up the same idea in his Sermon on the Mount when he tells his listeners:

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden...
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

When Bishop Henderson designated today as a day of prayer for peace, the nation, and the world, he pointed out the importance of this weekend in our national life.  The Martin Luther King holiday has become an important national holiday commemorating the greatest hero and martyr for the cause of American civil rights.  And of course, this particular King holiday has even greater significance because of the inauguration of our new president, the first African American to hold that office.  Regardless of our personal political leanings, this is an amazing event in our nation's history.  As recently as a year ago, few would have believed it likely that a black man could win the election to be president of the most powerful nation on earth – very few indeed.  And yet, this nation was founded on the principal that anyone can accomplish anything they set their minds to.  It was founded on the idea that we are a special nation, the city on a hill, that was destined to set an example for the rest of the world. 

It's hard to be a city on a hill; it's hard to be a light to the nations.  There are lots of people who would like to forget that we are destined to set an example for the rest of the world,  forget that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.  With all of our troubles and conflicts here at home, why should we be concerned with the wars in Gaza, the famine in Africa, the genocide in Darfur?  Why should we be concerned with the poverty and lack of clean drinking water in Haiti, or the environmental disaster in the Amazon, or the religious, racial and gender intolerance in the Middle East?  Why should we be concerned with the lack of educational opportunities and medical care for people in India?  Don't we have enough of these problems right here at home?

In 1963, after he was arrested in Birmingham for demonstrating for racial equality, Martin Luther King wrote an open letter to some of the religious leaders of the city of Birmingham, including the Rt. Rev. Charles Carpenter, bishop of the diocese of Alabama.  In it, he wrote about how our lives and our decisions are so intertwined with people all across the nation:

I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Although Dr. King was specifically addressing the Civil Rights struggle in the South and the relationships we share across states, we can just as easily apply his words to the global problems we share in the world today.  Whatever affects one nation directly, affects all indirectly.

America was founded as a city on a hill.  As the richest and most powerful nation on earth, we cannot help but be an example to the rest of the world.  What we do as Americans matters; we are watched by the rest of the world.  When we stumble, as we did in our recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, the world takes note.  And when we succeed, as we did several days ago after the plane crash in New York City, the rest of the world sees that as well.  We are part of the world, and they are part of us.  As Dr. King said, “whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

But what about us?  What about this congregation here at St. Simon and St. Jude?  What does all this have to do with us?  Well, this church is a white brick building that sits on a hill over the interstate.  A church that shines in the night.  We are a shining church on a hill.  What we do can be seen by all, whether or not we realize it.  We cannot help but be an example to this community of Irmo.  Whether we open our doors to the members of AA six days a week, or host the Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts, or serve as a polling place during an historic election as we did last November, the people of Irmo notice.  They learn more about what kind of community St. Simon and St. Jude is, and what it means to be Jesus in the world.  What we do as a worship community, and how we live out our baptismal covenant affects the people who live here in Irmo.  Through us, they learn not only who we are, but more importantly, who our Lord Jesus Christ is.

A few months ago, one of our members said to me, “We need to become known as 'the MDG church.'”  She was referring to the Millennium Development Goals, the eight goals adopted by the diocese and this parish as part of our outreach ministry.  Then just last week, another of our members said, “we need to be known in the community as 'the socially conscious church.'”  I think both of these people were saying the same thing that Isaiah was saying; that we are called to set an example to the rest of the community, not only through our prayers but also our actions.  In a few minutes, we will be praying for peace, the nation, and the world, not just because our bishop has asked us to, but because as people of God we are called to do so.  Our prayers are important; God hears our prayers.  But just as important is the fact that our prayers are a call to action.  We are the Body of Christ in the world.  We are the means through which our Lord accomplishes change.  Through Christ, we are the way wars are stopped, the hungry are fed, children are educated.  Through Christ, we are the way that medical care is made available, and that the dignity of every human being is upheld.  God has called us to be a light to the world, so that God's salvation may reach not just ourselves, but also to everyone with whom we are tied “in the single garment of destiny.”

Thanks be to God.

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