Inaugural Sermons Then and Now

“Preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” ~ Karl Barth

The renown 20th century theologian, Karl Barth, is remembered for imparting a sound piece of advice to those tasked with delivering sermons; “Preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” By that I believe he meant that preaching should proclaim the truth of Scripture, and do it in such a way that it is culturally relevant to current events. I couldn’t agree more. I try to apply that advice also to the creation of posts that appear in this blog.

The post preceding this one centered on what has quickly become a controversial sermon delivered by Bishop Mariann Budde following the inauguration of President Trump. It was a Barthian sermon if ever there was one, connecting biblical truths with contemporary events. This past Sunday mainline denominational preachers across America were given the opportunity by the prescribed lectionary reading for the day (Luke 4:14-21) to connect the dots by linking the text to the furor caused throughout MAGA Land in reaction to Bishop Budde’s sermon. For within that sermon she had the audacity to plead with the President to show mercy to the many folks he is targeting with his menacing agenda.

Luke’s gospel account of Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in his home town gave preachers with a Barthian bent the chance to connect the dots between two inaugural sermons, then and now. Many biblical scholars refer to this synagogue visit as Jesus inaugural sermon, the event that launched his public ministry. Following his baptism by John in the river Jordan, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where he is put to the test by Satan in preparation for his public ministry. Then he returns to Galilee and appears one Sabbath in the synagogue at Nazareth.

He is invited to read scripture and is handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. Likely it was his choice as to what portion to read. He unrolls the scroll and finds the section he is looking for:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He hands the scroll back to the attendant, sits down and then makes this astounding statement: “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”

What the text for the day does not include is the outcome of Jesus’ inaugural sermon, which was a real cliff hanger. “When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. They rose up, dragged Jesus out of town and took him to the top of the hill on which their town was built. They meant to throw him over the cliff…”
(Luke 4:28-29)

Bishop Budde’s sermon had a similar effect on the MAGA faithful, outrage. A member of Congress called for her to be deported, while others proposed a congressional resolution to condemn her sermon as unbiblical. And in this polarized time of vitreol, responses ranged from nastiness to violence and death threats from Trumpian disciples.

In the aftermath of such responses there were Pastors from a variety of mainline denominations that used Sunday’s gospel as a chance to support the Bishop’s sermon that linked biblical truths to contemporary events. There was Rev. Dwain Lee, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor who preached:
“Friends, the bishop’s courage, the bishop’s faith to proclaim the truth of the gospel and to stand up against the horrible Christian Nationalist distortion of it that we see so often in these days is exactly what we need in this time… Regardless of who we voted for, regardless of whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, regardless of whether we’re liberals or conservatives, we are first followers of Jesus Christ. … When people in this church are vilified for proclaiming the simple, true message of the gospel, when there are now people seriously claiming that empathy for others is actually a sin, when government officials are trying to muzzle and punish religious expression of the gospel, and most significantly when history offers us a clear and stark precedent, I just can’t stress enough the urgency of the times you and I are living in as people of faith.”

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the rector where Bishop Budde once served said this to her congregation:
“We have our marching orders and they have not changed for 3,000 years… Well, our marching orders may not have changed, but the circumstances of the world do change all the time. Who are the oppressed, the captive, the blind, the poor today? Two of the most vulnerable groups today include the ones Bishop Budde mentioned in her sermon. … I am particularly concerned for our trans and non-binary friends and our immigrant friends whose current status is unresolved. I’m concerned too for those who are blind, who cannot see the world clearly, whose fear and hatred are manifesting in policies that create so much suffering.”

Two sermons delivered many centuries apart, one an ‘inaugural sermon’ by a newly anointed Jesus, and the other a sermon by a Bishop on the occasion of a Presidential inauguration, both elicit a similar repulsive response by people seeing themselves as proper adherents to their religion. Today in America adherents of the perverted dogma of Christian Nationalism and the adherents of the authentic gospel of Jesus are in a tussle to define what it means to be followers of he who was anointed to “proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

At this critical time when partisan politics and nationalistic ideology join to corrupt gospel truth, justice and mercy for all God’s creation, we will do well to remember the encouraging words spoken last Sunday by Rev. Jared Cramer, an Episcopal priest to his congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Words are things that can provoke powerful responses. We’ve certainly seen that this past week… If claiming your God-given identity and call ruffles some feathers, causes those you thought loved you now to see you as somehow threatening to the status quo, well, then I would say you’re in some pretty good company.”

Here’s to threatening the current status quo in the good company of he whose words and deeds introduced the Kingdom of God, and thereby upended the status quo from here to eternity.