Of Kings & Palms & Patriots

Dear friends,

Last weekend I travelled to my hometown to attend the funeral of my Uncle George, the last of my father’s six brothers.  I drove to Emporium, PA on Friday, a 9-5 drive, and the funeral and luncheon were on Saturday. On Sunday morning I found myself faced with a dilemma – the Sunday service at my hometown parish started at 11:00 a.m., which meant that I wouldn’t leave for home until 1:00 p.m. in all probability, which meant I would get home at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.   I was tired from the drive on Friday, and the next two weeks were going to be intense, yet I’m not sure I recall a Sunday in recent memory when I had not gone to church.  I heard the voice of Ignatius who said, “Pray as you are able,” and I set out for Concord in the morning.

As I drove through all the small towns, I saw something hopeful – every little town had two or three little Missionary Alliance, Southern Baptist, Methodist, and Bible churches (an occasional Episcopal church as well), some of them little more than trailers, but every one of them had a full parking lot.  Middle America may be in hard times, but by God they are going to church – they are like lichens holding on to rocks in a storm, immovable in their faith.  I was touched.  Their response to hard times was to worship.

On Sunday, March 30, I provided invocation and benediction at the Town House, where Sandy Smith was named as this year’s Honored Citizen, a special honor, in that this year marks 250 years since the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  Sandy, as you know, in addition to all he has done for the community, has served for decades with the Concord Battery, that rides with cannons in our parades, and ceremonially fires them at key events and commemorations for the town.  Let us note as well that generations of his family have served the Battery, as does Sandy’s son.

I began the Honored Citizen ceremony with Psalm 67, below, and then somehow found myself including the cannons in my prayer for Sandy.  

 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and makest Thou Thy face to shine upon us;

2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.

5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall stand in awe of Him.

 I then asked that we pray:

O Lord our God, When the Battery’s cannons sound, let us recall the Liberty and the Peace that only Thou hast granted us; In our celebrations, let us know that our continuance is by your hand, and through your gift of wise and earnest leaders.

I’ll add the rest of the prayer in a paragraph or two, but on Palm Sunday we celebrate a parade in Jerusalem that honored Jesus as Lord and King of a Kingdom that is not of this world, a parade that was followed, owing to human caprice, frailty and failings, by a different parade a few days later that led to the crucifixion.   While this did result in the Kingdom of Heaven being opened to all believers, it tells us that in this world, we survive the unpredictable crashing waves and roaring winds of this world by clinging, like the roadside Christians, like the frightened disciples, to the rock of our faith, believing that our Liberty and Peace and continuance are only from the grace of God and not from this world.

So let us reflect on God’s constancy and grace as we march through Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.  Let us give thanks for leaders so constant as Sandy, and here is the rest of the prayer for him:

This day we ask your blessings as we approach our 250th year, and we thank you for the leadership and service that Sandy Smith has provided to us.  Bless this town, bless us, bless Sandy, and bless his family who sustains him, that Sandy’s civic vision may be clear, his service pure, and his aim true.  This we ask in Thy Name. AMEN.

Lenten Blessings,

Father CJ+