Shall We Long Endure? #2 | “Perfecting the Union” | A Sermon

0:01 Last week, we kicked off our winter sermon series, Shall This Nation Long Endure? For five weeks, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is studying, through the lens of our faith, a critical set of American documents. Documents that Martin Luther King called our nation's promissory notes. These historic texts make lofty claims for our country. They describe who we believe we are, what we believe we share in common, what our common rights are under the law, and what we think the role and purpose of government should be. Last week, we began with the Declaration of Independence. We talked about the power of those famous words, and we noted, with a dose of sober realism, that our nation immediately fell short in living up to those lofty promises.

1:12 And then we pivoted. We looked closely at a phrase added to the Declaration by John Adams, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. We consider together what it might mean for people and our country's leaders to ground their morality in God.

1:40 Today, we turn our attention to the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution of the United States is the longest standing written Constitution in the world. It describes the form and powers of our government. It is the foundation for the law of the land. Today we will consider the Constitution's preamble and its seven original articles. next Sunday, Reverend Natalie will lead us in examining the Bill of Rights, also, of course, part of the Constitution. Friends, in honor of our nation's semi-quincentennial, and in keeping with our winter sermon series, we have procured a bit of swag from the U.S. Constitution Center for you.

2:38 we've purchased pocket-sized pamphlets that include both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Many of you have already received them from our ushers. They will be available from our ushers throughout this sermon series. And for you good folk online, please go to fapc.org slash we the people to request that we mail you a complimentary copy. I was reading the New York Times yesterday and in Maureen Dowd's column she spoke lovingly of her own mother who was very patriotic, who insisted that her children wear red, white, and blue on the 4th of July, and who for her entire life carried in her purse alongside a pack of mints, a copy of the U.S. Constitution, so that she always had these lofty, important, sacred promises close at hand. So maybe we can be like her. Let us turn our attention now to a passage from the Good Book, in which Jesus speaks in a prophetic voice about God's judgment.

4:01 Listen now for God's word as it echoes to us from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, beginning with the 31st verse. When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. The king will say to those at his right hand, come. You who are blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing?

5:36 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.

6:00 Then he will say to those on his left hand, You who are accursed depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me naked and you did not give me clothing. Sick and in prison and you did not visit me. This is the word of God for you, the people of God. Thanks be to God. Today's passage from Matthew is often described by Christians as a sort of spiritual report card. It assesses, have you been on God's side in your life?

6:59 Are you a sheep or are you a goat? Will you inherit the kingdom of God when you stand before the judge of the world? Have you treated the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, and the sick with the same care and compassion that you would extend to Jesus himself?

7:23 This interpretation of the passage is not off the mark, although it does miss one thing. In today's parable, Jesus describes a moment sometime in the future when every nation and state will be judged. It's right there in the second sentence. All the world's nations will be gathered before the judge. There will come a time when God will render a verdict on humanity's largest endeavors, its nations, and its governments. In making this claim, Jesus stands within a venerable tradition. He walks in the shoes of prophets like Jeremiah, Amos, and Daniel. These figures famously spoke prophetic words not simply to individuals but to entire countries and their governments.

8:27 They criticized self-serving kings and their toady advisors, unfair merchants and princes addicted to violence. They pronounced God's judgment on corrupt economic and judicial systems. In speaking to the nations, the Hebrew prophets would often refer to a simple test for assessing whether or not you're on God's side. God, says Moses, God, says Jeremiah, will judge your nation by how you treat the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in your midst. If you're looking for broad themes in scripture, this is certainly one of them. 80 different times, that's 8-0 in scripture.

9:25 In both the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament, people of faith speak of the deep compassion God has for these three groups of people. the widow, the orphan, the alien in your midst. Why these three categories? Well, scholars tell us that these three groups of people faced the most difficult challenges day in and day out, simply trying to survive in the ancient world. These particular folk had few ways to interact with the economy, no access to capital, and they were generally looked down on by others in the wider society. And yet the prophets tell us these folk are beloved of God.

10:24 In Deuteronomy, we are told that God will bless nations that care for the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners. And God will curse nations that mistreat those same people. Jesus summarizes these sentiments beautifully, poignantly, personally in today's text. Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me. These are the standards that Jesus lays out for the nations. Now, how do they compare to the standards that our founders held up for this country at its beginning? The Constitution of the United States sets an aspirational tone for the work of the American government in its preamble.

11:28 These famous words occur on the cover of today's bulletin. We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. These are good words, powerful words, words that invite people to dream big. This past week I watched a video in which teenagers responded to the hopes enshrined in the preamble.

12:27 It was quite moving to listen to young people from across our country describe what these words mean. the blessings of liberty, the establishment of justice, and the promotion of the general welfare. I learned something else in my research as well. Something that I imagine the attorneys in this room and those of you who are online know quite well. The preamble to the Constitution is an introduction to the law of the land, but it is not. the law. Its eloquent phrases came from the pen of Gouverneur Morris, a fascinating, witty, one-legged, anti-slavery abolitionist from New York who also happened to be one of Alexander Hamilton's best friends. But for all its aspirational eloquence. The words composed by Morris carry no weight in our legal system. In fact the courts have ruled that the preamble does not grant any specific powers to individuals or parts of our government. Now the seven articles that follow the preamble do of course parcel out specific powers. Here the Constitution famously divides up the responsibilities and powers of government seeking to prevent a repeat of the abuses suffered by the colonies under King George III.

14:15 In dividing the government's various powers between three different branches and between the federal government and the governments of the states, the framers sought to ensure that too much power would not end up in too few hands. Scholars describe the form of government created by the framers as a representative republic. This past week a friend asked me, Scott, do you think that God prefers one form of government over another? That's a good question. It's also sort of like asking, does God prefer the Packers or the Vikings? But I'm not going to go there right now. The governments that stand as the historical backdrop to Scripture take many forms.

15:13 but none of them are democracies. Most can be described as either tribal confederations, localized monarchies, or larger empires that lean toward totalitarianism. The prophets offer various assessments of these different governments. Some are said to be doing God's work. Some are viewed as benign. and some are labeled as downright evil. One of the most stark incidences of governmental criticism in the good book occurs in the book of Revelation. In a series of wild texts that conclude the New Testament, John of Patmos tells of a dream in which many-eyed monsters crawl out of the sea and begin gobbling up people.

16:13 Christians have long held that these monsters represent power-hungry countries and their corrupt rulers. My point here is this. While the good book doesn't offer a clear answer as to God's preferred form of government, it has no problem condemning societies that have gone off the moral rails. Scripture regularly calls out nations, governments, and leaders who engage in bad behavior. This past week Someone asked me, Scott, what do you hope to accomplish with this sermon series?

17:06 It's a really good question. In fact, it's a question that I ask whenever I sit down to write a sermon. On this blizzardy January morning, as the snow continues to swirl outside our doors, I want to conclude this sermon by answering this faithful question. And I want to do so by inviting you upstairs to my study. I want to give you a tour of what floats through a preacher's mind when they lift their head from the posture of prayer and begin to write.

17:49 Now the first answer that comes to mind is rather expansive. but it is, I think, still important. There is a rather broad consensus within the Christian faith that every sermon ought to, in some way, proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. And I agree with this. At the same time, along with most other pastors, I would point out that speaking the good news looks different from week to week and from context to context. Sermons vary because they are incarnational. They stand in the midst of a unique moment in history seeking to engage the real world of their listeners with the claims of the faith. As such, sermons seek to answer, in the words of Swiss theologian Karl Barth, the bedrock question that listeners bring with them to worship.

19:02 Is this true? Is it true that there is a loving God at the heart of all creation? Is it true that Jesus came preaching and teaching to draw us closer to this tender God? Is it true that God judges the nations? Is it true that God is at work in this world, healing broken souls, calling us to reconcile with each other, weaving the threads of a just peace? every week I strive to answer this basic question. Is it true?

19:52 Now if you're willing to hang in with me here in the preacher's study for another moment, I want to get even more specific. On a week-to-week basis, I would say that most sermons in trying to answer the question, is it true, play out in one of four different ways. These four ways, modes, correspond to the classic roles embodied by clergy in the good book. I'm speaking of the priest, the prophet, the rabbi, and the pastor. On any given Sunday, one of those four roles typically takes up a bit more space in the pulpit than the others. And here's the thing, many of you, most of you, typically prefer one of these four types of sermons over the others. Do you know that about yourselves? I bet you do. There are people who I can count on who will come and shake my hand with extra vigor after a pastoral sermon. These folk are hungry for a word that conveys the love of God and pours a healing balm on wounded souls. Other people will seek me out after hearing a prophetic sermon, one that raises ethical questions about events on the world stage. They will squeeze my hand and say, thank you for that sermon. I wish more people could hear it. Others prefer the faith deepening educational explorations that come from a rabbinic teaching sermon. And some of you like sermons that draw us deeper into the mystery of God and the ritual life of the church. You like it best when we contemplate priestly activities like baptism, communion, marriage, and the burial

21:59 of the dead. Now, although I do not want to typecast you, I must confess that over the years I developed a pretty strong sense as to which of these four types of sermons many of you like best and which you like least.

22:20 With that in mind, let's return to the winter 2026 series and the faithful question, Scott, what do you hope to accomplish? While the current sermon series has educational components to it and, I pray, clear pastoral elements running through it, most people would probably put it in the prophetic camp. What does that mean? My friend Wallace Alston, honorably retired Presbyterian preacher and a veteran of preaching during the civil rights era in this country, recently remarked to me that the role of the preacher in times like this is to call the balls and the strikes. In this mode, preachers prayerfully strive, guided by Christian tradition and the model of Jesus Christ, to provide an unvarnished perspective on what out there is and what is not of God.

23:32 I take Wallace's faithful challenge very seriously. A huge chunk of the good book is devoted to the lives and the teachings of the prophets. Jesus himself, as we saw in today's text, is not adverse to delivering a prophetic word. It's also true that back then, as is still the case today, these prophetic sermons felt controversial. They made some people angry. When preachers call the balls and the strikes, when they make ethical claims about the world, and yes, when they actually name names in calling out corruption, something that the prophets frequently do, things can get heated. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons, but typically one thing above all else sets off agitation in the face of prophetic preaching.

24:38 Nobody, nobody, nobody likes to be judged, to feel judged. Every baseball player feeling that a strike has been unfairly called wants to turn and argue furiously with the ump. You got something in your eye there buddy? That was clearly outside the strike zone. This is true in baseball. This is true in life. Remember King Herod? Herod was incensed when some backwoods preacher named John the Baptist called out his marital infidelity. In response, the king imprisoned John and eventually had the prophet beheaded. It's a risky move to call out a king. Down through the centuries, when preachers have waded into the prophetic end of the pool, they are often accused of meddling.

25:40 Meddling in politics, drifting into areas that they do not fully understand, wandering out of their lane. This accusation is, in many ways, true. Prophetic preaching is meddling. It names names. It calls for change. So why do we do it? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, we do it because we worship a God who likes to meddle. Again and again in the good book, God steps into messy situations and speaks. God speaks freedom to the Hebrew children who are being held as slaves in Egypt.

26:36 God sends the prophet Jonah to speak repentance to the people of Nineveh. God speaks grace to a group of men on the streets of Jerusalem when they pick up stones aiming to deliver rough justice to a lone woman. The Bible is one long story of God entering into turbulent, conflicted and angry moments to speak words of grace and justice and to chart pathways toward peace. what am I trying to accomplish?

27:16 I suppose at a basic level, despite my many, many flaws and cowardly impulses, I'm trying to be faithful. I'm trying to tell the truth. with the ministry of Jesus Christ ever before my mind's eye I endeavor to call the balls and the strikes in a fair manner now I'll admit in the midst of all this that I pray that I will not be sucked into the vortex of cultural blame games and trollish cycles I do not want to fan the flames of people's fear, stoke the fires of anger, or even to shame those who miss the strike zone.

28:13 Because that, of course, is all of us. And that is not, of course, the way of our Lord. I'm also painfully aware in our current conflicted moment that to say I'm just trying to tell the truth is to invite eye rolls. Nice try preacher. Is there any truth out there anymore? Do we even recognize the same set of facts in this country? Aren't we engaged in a war of opinions in regard to well everything? This past week my friend Joe, a Presbyterian pastor in Charlotte, asked me, Scott, how can two different groups of people look at the same video, the video in which Renee Good was killed by an officer of ICE, and come to such completely different conclusions?

29:16 How can one person see a domestic terrorist who disobeyed the law, while another sees a passionate mother murdered by a masked paramilitary force? Joe went on to observe, we do not believe what we see. We see what we believe. Ouch. My friend's description of our situation is both accurate and devastating. This same awful, don't believe your eyes, spin doctoring played out again yesterday following the shooting in Minneapolis that claimed the life of Alex Preddy, a 37-year-old registered nurse.

30:15 Before evidence could be gathered or considered, members of the current administration began to lie. They labeled this man a terrorist, this man who's described by neighbors and coworkers as a gentle, compassionate, always smiling force for good. This practice, tarnishing anyone who stands in opposition to your policies, is something that the Constitution seeks to guard against. And it's political cynicism at its very worst. We can make the truth be whatever we want it to be. This is vile calculus and it ought to shake our nation to its moral core.

31:18 So what am I hoping to accomplish? Friends, in this terribly tense cultural moment, I keep returning to one thought. I believe the gospel wants to love on us and shape us. I think the good news of our faith is crying out to us at this moment. It echoes through the world as a sacred plea. It is a plea that we cast aside these terrible partisan lenses and our bold-faced lies and strive to look at each other through the eyes of Jesus Christ. How do you think Jesus saw the death of Renee Good? How do you think Jesus saw the death of Alex Preddy?

32:25 Where and with whom do you think Jesus would stand at this moment in history? Good people, our faith, this faith in a real, not made-up God, refuses to pat us on the back every morning. It calls us to wrestle with the most basic, heart-churning questions of our time. In wrestling with these volatile issues, God challenges us to an almost impossible balancing act. We are called to tell the truth in love. We must be honest, and we must not sacrifice our hearts to anger or hate. And at the same time, God asks that we hold ourselves, our neighbors, and indeed our entire nation accountable to the standards of compassion and kindness set by Jesus Christ.

33:40 This is the path the faithful must walk in this troubled time. Love and truth, justice and mercy, this is our calling. We must persist in it. We need every morning to recommit to it. We have to keep asking, how are we doing? Are we living up to our faith's highest aspirations? How can we make good on our country's lofty promises? How can we hold each other accountable to the truth of Jesus Christ without deepening our divisions and falling into destructive cycles of fear, angered, and hateful violence? As we engage in this work, the words of Abraham Lincoln continue to challenge us. Will we listen to our better angels?

34:42 Or will we sell our souls to the legions of demons who whisper from every so-called smart device on the planet, Be afraid. Get angry. Learn to hate your neighbor. can we do the hard work the work of faith the often selfless work that will enable us to answer Lincoln's question with a dose of hope shall this nation conceived in liberty long endure