Increase in us true religion, (BCP, Collect for Proper 17)
In the collect for this week we pray
Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works…
In this prayer we ask to have Divine love grafted on our hearts and Divine goodness nourish our bodies and souls. We also ask for true religion to be increased within us. What is true religion?
Discussions about of what constitutes true religion can be contentious. Years ago, I was accused of belonging to a false religion. At first I was quietly outraged. How could anyone accuse me of not being truly religious? For the first decade of my life I enrolled in religious education and taken to Mass at St. Bonaventure Roman Catholic Church by my mother and I was taken to services and church school at St. James the Less Episcopal Church in Queens by my father. When our family moved to Scarsdale, I attended services, sang in the choir, and went to Church school at another St. James the Less Episcopal Church until I left for college. I was in the chapel so often during college, I earned the nickname “chapel rat.” The accusation of being in a false religion was made during a visit to my paternal grandparents’ home. I had traveled to Jamaica in the West Indies to spend time with them because they were too old to travel to NY. Their age and health problems also prevented them from attending church. The priest from Papa’s Anglican Church did not visit, but members from Nana’s Pentecostal Church came every week to read Scripture and pray. Members from her church came during my visit and asked me lots of questions. When my responses failed to meet their expectations, they challenged me. My reaction shifted from speechless shock to frightened tears. Seeing my distress, Nana brought the gathering to an end. As she and I stood on the porch watching her church members climb into cars and drive away she said, “don’t mind them continue your journey with Jesus.”
Discussions about what constitutes true religion do not have to devolve into accusations. As we reflect on our faith or discuss religion with others, it is important to leave judgement in God’s hands, where it belongs. It is important to listen for what is said and to look for what is done as we seek to increase true religion.
What The Episcopal Church professes about true religion is found in the Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer. We promises to do four things in the Baptismal Covenant: (1) we vow to worship and study, (2) promise to resist evil, (3) commit to proclaiming Jesus, and (4) we agree to seek and serve Christ by loving and pursuing justice for our neighbors as we would ourselves. James, a disciple and the brother of Jesus, directs us to
…be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they look like. James 1:22-24
When we recite the Baptismal Covenant at Baptisms, Confirmations, and on All Saints Day and Pentecost and during the Easter Vigil we are agreeing put what we say into action.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on our thoughts, words and deeds is this past week. Try to identify both the ways you put these vows into action and the opportunities missed to commend and grow our faith. Did you prayer and studying last week? In addition to studying the Bible this week, I began reading a book called Following God into a Hopeful Future. What forms did your prayer and study take? While listening to or reading the news this week, did you manage to resist evil and when you fell into sin, repent and return to the Lord? This was a tough news cycle for me. The updates about the military actions in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank were disturbing, but the news about the emergence of polio among Palestinian children sent me over the edge. I was muttering words in my head that would get me in trouble with my parents if they were still alive. I had to stop myself, consider the implications of my words, and have a little talk with Jesus. Where did you proclaim the Good News? Did you speak about the ways God blessed you while hanging out at the Hampton Classic. Did you share insights from you private prayers or public worship with friends or family this weekend? My brother, Vernon, arrived late Friday night. He is here for the long weekend. We talked while he ate dinner at 11pm. He told me about a wedding he performed for one of his clerks, Vernon is a Federal Court judge, and I shared my thoughts about this sermon with him. Vernon, who never was shy about giving his opinion commented, I can always tell what people believe from how they behave. The Book of James makes the same point. We must, in order to develop our faith and increase true religion, be doers of the word.
There was some truth in members of my Nana’s church said. The members and priest of my Papa’s church sang their faith and proclaimed their faith in worship, but limited their faith actions to church fairs and fund raisers. When members stopped attending the priest did not call and the members did not inquire. Sadly, they were hearers, but not doers of the word.
