Royalmania!

April 27, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

My decision to devote a large part of today’s Mid-Week to the wedding of William and Kate came after some intense internal debate. There is part of me that has grown weary of all the hype and hoopla, as have many of you. A friend of mine living in England told me she is quite tired of seeing, hearing, and living with the “tatty memorabilia” being hawked on the streets, including knitting patterns you can use to make your own “Wills and Kate” dolls. So I offer my apologies to any of you hoping this message would offer a respite from Royalmania.

The other day, Grace asked if our wedding was broadcast on television, too. I had to tell her that though her mother looked like a princess that day, such extravaganzas are rare. She is about the age I was in 1981 when I watched Charles and Diana get married. Thirty years later, I’ll be one of the millions watching again, but for very different reasons.

I won’t be caught up in the fairy-tale dramatics of the day; I have no real interest in the style of the gowns, the choice of wedding colors, or the vast array of flowers. As one who considers wedding officiating to be a hefty part of my job description, I’ll be watching for the ceremonial elements of the morning: the liturgy used by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the homily delivered by the Bishop of London, and what will likely be the first 50-ft. white altar linen I have ever seen.

I will also be viewing with a fascination about what the royal family means to the British people. As an American with an inbred allergy to anything monarchical, and a United Methodist with an instinctive urge to reform anything Anglican, I have to admit that, like many Americans, I struggle to see why the royal family is so significant to the Mother Country.

My hunch is that the British are well aware that long gone are the days that the royal family wielded any significant military or political power. But I suspect that what the royals lack in governmental authority, they more than compensate in cultural and societal influence. In them, the people find their corporate memory and claim their communal identity. The royal family links their citizenry to centuries of rich heritage, and reminds them of what it means to be British.

This perspective as an outsider gives me some entry point into the world of the pre-monarchy Israelites, who studied the empires around them (and, perhaps, watched a royal wedding or two themselves.) They craved a warrior king to help them defeat their enemies, and serve as an idealized hero for their projections of strength and power. But deep down inside, they were looking for a person to embody their corporate identity, and remind them of what it meant to be an Israelite.

Samuel, the lead prophet, was dismayed. Not just because his job was in jeopardy, but because they had forgotten that the source of their identity as a people was not located in any one person, but in the God who constituted their past, their present, and their future. In response to the people’s request, God told Samuel: ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’ (1 Samuel 1:3-9)

No, we Americans don’t have a monarchy to define who we are. Those days of patriarchal patriotism were left behind when the pilgrims crossed the pond. And United Methodists don’t have a pope or president who speaks on behalf of all of us. Instead, we believe that our identity in the kingdom of God is not found in a human being, but in Jesus Christ, whom we call our Lord.

Lord and Kingdom may sound like antiquated, patriarchal terms, but they best describe the way Christ bears our communal distinctiveness. It is in Jesus that we find our joint purpose and meaning as a faithful people. And to call Jesus Lord is to join together with the confessions of the saints from long ago from whom we inherit the rich, grand tradition of the Christian faith.

This all leads to this Sunday, in an event that is, in my opinion, exponentially more significant than the royal wedding. Confirmation Sunday is a momentous occasion in the lives of our seventh graders, who will stand before you and before God to claim their identity in Christ. They will formally proclaim Jesus as their Lord, and will henceforth align their lives around the vision of God’s kingdom on earth. They will acknowledge the grace of God that has been operating in their lives even prior to their ability to comprehend it, and vow to live their lives as followers of the one who came to give himself for them.

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday for this deeply moving and significant moment in the lives of these young people. It will be a reminder to all of us that our identity does not rest in any one human being, royal couple, or figurehead leader. Our identity is found in the resurrected Christ, who is our Lord.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




NEW SERMON SERIES
This Sunday we begin a brand new series based on 1 Peter called “Strength for the Tough Times.” We will see how the words of this epistle gave strength to the early Christians during their times of persecution and trial, and translate that into principles for combating the difficulties of daily living. We’ll start with a sermon based on 1 Peter 1:3-9, called “Living Hope: Faith for Our Future.”

STRENGTH FOR THE TOUGH TIMES:
1 Peter’s Prescription for Persecuted People


May 1
Living Hope: Faith for Our Future
1 Peter 1:3-9
(Confirmation Sunday)

May 8
A Love That Lasts: Faith that Endures
1 Peter 1:17-23

May 15
Safety with the Shepherd: Faith That Comforts
1 Peter 2:19-25

May 22
Growing Up God’s Way: Faith That Matures
1 Peter 2:2-10

May 29
Good Work! Faith That Works
1 Peter 3:13-22

June 5
Acts 1:1-11
Contagious Christianity: Faith That Spreads

June 12
Acts 2:1-21
Spirit Born: Faith Strengthened by the Spirit