Luke 16.10-13 “The woman or man who is faithful with little is faithful also with much; and the woman or man who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you all have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will trust you with [what is] true? And if you all have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Reflection
Continuing in the tradition of our Israelite ancestors, from its founding the United States has recognized her dependence on God, which means our mission as “We the people” depends on moral considerations established in our relationship with God.
Principles guide our actions and our actions establish our identity. As the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes in The Politics of Responsibility, “You are free to do what you choose but actions have consequences. You cannot overeat and take no exercise, and at the same time stay healthy. You cannot act selfishly and win the respect of other people. You cannot allow injustices to prevail and sustain a cohesive society. You cannot let rulers use power for their own ends without destroying the basis of a free and gracious social order. There is nothing mystical about these ideas. They are eminently intelligible. But they are also, and inescapably, moral.”
“We the people” are meant to be righteous, respectable and trustworthy. Moral. “We the people” cannot be “We the people” when our primary concern is me and my advantage. A wealth serving union governed by folks obsessed with the acquisition of personal property and power forgets its moral obligation to the common good. As our gospel text from Luke declares, we “cannot serve God and wealth.” To rectify this situation we must hold ourselves and our institutions accountable, responsible. However this should not and must not mean indulging in limitless litigation.
Rather than looking for liability we will be better served requiring responsibility. Responsibility means satisfying or fulfilling our moral role as part of “We the people.” How are we doing? fulfilling our moral role as “We the people” of God?
On this the eve of the celebration of the Independence of the United States, according to our Constitution, the responsibility of “We the people” is to be “a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…” It is the responsibility of “We the people” to serve something more than wealth, something more than our immediate individual interests and assets. How else can we establish justice? How else can we insure domestic tranquility? How else can we promote the general welfare that we claim in our Constitution? Or are we hypocrites?
The United States Constitution with its twenty seven amendments is not intended to be an axe we employ to divide and destroy. The United States Constitution recognizes all people as “We the people” meant to live with moral responsibility for the well being of one another and a commitment to be “a more perfect (moral) union.”
This is a wildly audacious idea. It is nothing less than our forbearers’ call for all generations to persist in being the Kingdom of God on earth, “A more perfect (moral) union.”
“A more perfect union” is much more than a list of civil rights. It is a pattern and purpose fashioned in the tradition of our Israelite ancestors. The United States Constitution insists our body politic is not about individual preferences or even individual survival. It is about leading a righteous, respectable and trustworthy life together. Government is meant to be the context within which “We the people” cooperate to cultivate the good life of a “more perfect union.” Government is meant to serve “We the people.” Not the other way around.
The heart of the Constitution is community in relationship with God. At our best “We the people” stand with our feet planted in high moral ground. Our interest is not in assigning liability for particular events but rather in taking responsibility to establish a context that sustains the common good.
Dear people of God, the Bible tells us we cannot serve both wealth and God but I say, if we hope to cultivate the good life together we must move beyond this dualistic way of framing our lives. Our individuality and self care are essential aspects of being a person. Likewise our participation in community aimed for the common good is a condition of our humanity. I believe we must expand our narrative and grow beyond the false dichotomy of me versus them, conservative versus liberal. We must make our story big enough to be “We the people,” a more perfect union revealing the Kingdom of God on earth.
How are we to do this? I believe the invitation is threefold.
First, move beyond selfishness while sustaining self care by seeking moderation and balance in all things. (Especially suitable to us Episcopalians and our via media, the messy middle way!)
Second, inoculate ourselves against polarizing political ploys by avoiding extreme rhetoric meant to confound reason and inflame emotion,. Just turn that off and listen carefully to find common ground with folks of differing opinions. (For God’s Sake, Listen!)
Third, put our trust in something more that we call God and do whatever it takes to be righteous, respectable and trustworthy in our God given relationships as “We the People” of God.
Fourth, remember "We are free to do what we choose but actions have consequences."
**https://www.rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/bechukotai/the-politics-of-responsibility/
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