Today Everyone is Scottish

November 14, 2004 (Kirkin' o' the Tartan -- Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost -- Proper 28)

By The Very Rev. Terry White, Dean

- Malachi 3:13-4:2a,5-6
- Psalm 98:5-10
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
- Luke 21:5-19

(From The Lectionary Page)

How Scotland was created:

At the beginning of time God was discussing the creation of the world with the Angel Gabriel.

"Gabriel," said God, "I am going to give Scotland towering mountains and magnificent glens resplendent with purple heather. Red deer will roam the countryside, golden eagles will circle in the skies, salmon will leap in the crystal clear rivers and lochs, and the surrounding seas will teem with fish. Agriculture will flourish and there will be a glorious coming together of water with barley to be known as whisky. Coal, oil and gas- - all will be there. The Scots will be intelligent, innovative, industrious and..."

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Gabriel. "Are you not being just a wee bit too generous to these Scots?"

The Almighty replied, "Not really. I haven't told you yet who their neighbours are going to be!"

Claiming our heritage, our roots, can be joyous and life-giving. We feel a kinship with everyone we hold something in with – be it ancestry, language of origin, alma maters, shoot, even sports’ affiliations can unite diverse people. And that is the wondrous thing – incredibly diverse people can feel united to one other when we love whatever we hold in common.

As the people of this cathedral welcome the St. Andrew’s society, we surely celebrate several ties.  Today, everyone is Scottish – we all love the pipes, shortbread, tartan, and a chance to pass on the haggis delicacy.

As a cathedral of the American Episcopal Church, we have a special bond of affection for the Scottish Episcopal Church. For on this very day, November 14, 1784, Samuel Seabury, a priest from Connecticut, was consecrated a bishop in the one holy catholic and apostolic church by three bishops in Aberdeen. Over a year and half earlier, Seabury had been elected a bishop, but after unsuccessful attempts to get English bishop so consecrate him, he appealed to the Scotland. The English bishops pointed out that according to English Prayer book, the bishop-elect would have to swear allegiance to the crown. And the rather important war for independence had just finished, so Seabury would not make such an oath. The Bishop and Bishop-coadjutor of Aberdeen, and the Bishop of Ross and Caithness, agreed to consecrate Seabury a bishop, provided he would persuade the American Church to adopt in their edition of the Book of Common Prayer the Scottish form for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. This was important to the non-jurors, because they rejected the Protestant notion that the Holy Communion was a memorial meal. The Scottish liturgy invoked the Holy Spirit on the gifts of bread and wine that they become the Body and Blood of Christ. The American Church did indeed adopt the Scottish form, and we will hear those words in shortly in our liturgy. This is also why the flag of the Episcopal Church ears in the blue field a St. Andrew’s Cross of nine smaller crosses, representing the original dioceses of the American Church.

So there is a strong and historical tie to Scotland’s Anglican Church because they bestowed on the American Church apostolic succession and the historic episcopate, earlier that the first American Roman Catholic bishop.

Here in this cathedral this morning we celebrate a second tie: a common love for this city and a commitment to make Kansas City a place were justice is available to all, no one goes hungry, all children are safe and well-educated, where health care is available, and where pain and sorrow are no more. St. Augustine, a good Scottish name, wrote of the city of God, not just eternal in the heavens, but as a reality all people of good will build on earth. Let us be united in our commitment, devoting time, energy, and money to creating the city of God we life, hope, and … abound.

Most importantly, what all of us share, is a desire to know God and make God known To move deeper into the heart of Christ, to become more compassionate, more generous, and more effective servants of God..

The lessons for today point us toward the end of time, and we spend a great deal of time and money denying that this life is finite. God be praised, we are mortal, and one of the blessings of being mortal is that we have only so much time it which to carry out the work God ahs given us to do. As St. Paul notes in the letter to the Thessalonians, there was a sense of urgency in he early Church, because Jesus was expected back soon. We do not have to hold such a belief in the Lord’s return to motivate us to be urgent, to be intentional in being an becoming Christ-like.

Blessed Andrew was the first of the Twelve to commit to a life of discipleship. And immediately after making his commitment, he told his brother of his new reason for living. Any society or parish which claims Andrew as a patron, surely shares this same call, and must be just as committed to living and sharing the good News, doing what is right, no matter what the cost.

I want to end with a personal story. In May of 1985, just a month away from graduating from Seabury Western Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, I returned to St. Michael’s Church, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, to be ordained a transitional deacon in my journey to the priesthood. The Diocese of Iowa had a companion relationship with the diocese of Brechin in the Scottish Episcopal Church, the see city of the diocese being Dundee. As the Bishop of Brechin was visiting Iowa at the time, it was my privilege to be ordained a deacon by the Rt. Rev’d Edward Luscombe, who later become the Primus or Presiding Bishop of Scotland. Instead of being ordained by the 7th bishop of Iowa, I was ordained by the 50th bishop of Brechin.

The Scottish Church suffered great persecution at several times, and when the Presbyterians were named the official Church of Scotland, the Anglicans virtually went underground in many places. Their sacrifices are hard to imagine today, as they worked tirelessly to preserve a tradition, a liturgy, and the three-fold ordained ministry for which they were willing to suffer.

There are plenty of jokes about Scotland, many of which should not be shared during divine service, but all who claim to be sons and daughters of Andrew the Apostle are truly blessed. For we shall the belief that love is stronger than hate, the forgiveness is always possible, that the true meaning of life is found in emptying oneself and in serving others, and that by the merits of Christ Jesus, death is not the end, but a gateway to eternal life.

My sisters and brothers: be your name McDonald, Schaeger, Mauro, Philips, or Gitta, - we are all Scottish today. (Did I mentioned my mother’s maiden names is Gibbs?) We do well to proud of whatever unites us to others. Let us remember that that which ultimately unites is baptism, and no matter what tribe or tongue we belong to, we can always praise the name of Almighty God and live in the power of the Spirit to create a world which his son loved so much, and for which he died. By the grace of God, following example of blessed Andrew, be about the noblest of work: sharing the love of Jesus Christ.