Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Every year on this Sunday, we encounter again my very favorite collect, written by my very favorite Archbishop of Canterbury: Thomas Cranmer. In truth, I don’t pay very much attention to the Archbishops of the Church of England, even though I am excited that the new one is the first woman to hold the position.
But, Cranmer will always have a special place in my heart. Not only was he the first Archbishop of the Church of England, he also compiled, composed, and edited the very first Book of Common Prayer, the book that contains the foundational liturgies, prayers, and theology of the Anglican and Episcopal Church.
The heart of Episcopal Christian identity is informed by this book, and it connects us back, not only to the moment of rupture and renewal that took place during the Reformation in the 1500s, when much of Europe declared itself Protestant. It also connects us back to the church that existed before that moment, in the processions of the medieval cathedrals, the Eucharistic Prayers of the early church, and even the sacrifices of the Roman temples and Jewish synagogues.
In this way, the Book of Common Prayer, while specific to the Anglican and Episcopal Church, actually reminds of us that we are members of the universal church, founded by Christ, and revealed to us in the Scriptures.
In a way, Cranmer’s collect on the scriptures is a kind of thesis statement for the whole tradition. Because, it points us all the way back, past tradition, to the record of our faith, belief, and practice: the Bible. It reminds us that everything we do and believe as disciples of Christ, in this Episcopal Church, is rooted in the stories of God and God’s people as they are revealed in scripture.
And, it gives us some guidance for how to engage with Scripture: “hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life…”
A lot of people have used this prayer for Bible Study. I have seen it used almost as a step-by-step guide to reading scripture. But, what sometimes gets lost is the reason why we would want to engage with scripture at all. After all, we’ve already got this big, expansive tradition with all of its liturgies and practices. What are we supposed to get out of reading the Bible, that we can’t get through praying and going to church?
The collect actually answers that question for us: “that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.” The point of Scripture is to give us a reason to embrace hope.
And we couldn’t have a better example of that, than in our passage from Isaiah 65…
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
Someone asked me this week how we can read hopeful passages like this one when the state of the world feels so hopeless? Doesn’t it give us indigestion to read something so sweet when the world around us is so bitter? When we are surrounded by fear and suffering, and our existential questions aren’t getting answered.
Borne of years of my own encounters with suffering, and my own encounters with Scripture, my response was immediate and unwavering.
I said, “Because, when you read a passage like this one, where God himself is painting a picture of paradise – in which there is no suffering, but only joy – when you read something as grand as that, you are reminded that your vision of beauty is the exact same as God’s. That God wants the same things you do. That there is, in fact, no division between the desires of your heart and God’s own heart. And suffering isn’t part of God’s design.
In this passage, God reverses the curses of Genesis: unburdening labor, disappearing pain, and rewinding all the years of layered sorrows, in a vision so bright it almost feels reckless.
A scripture passage like this one shows us that it is ok to imagine the best possible future, even in the midst of the worst possible reality. It is ok, because the people of God have traveled difficult terrain before, and they were still able to hold onto hope. It is ok, because God’s desire is to make it reality. This is a passage that hypes us up – if we let it, it can give us a reason to embrace hope.
But, what do we do with more troubling passages, like the ones from Second Thessalonians and Luke?
“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”
“…they will arrest you and persecute you…”
Well, if Cranmer is right that engaging with Scripture helps us “embrace hope,” then we are obligated to look for the light, even in difficult texts. This isn’t the same as manipulating scripture to suit our needs. We’re not ignoring the confusing or concerning parts of the Bible by reading hope into them. We are simply aware that a “God-breathed” scripture must include some evidence of God, who is “love.”
And when we really spend time with scripture, we discover that God’s promises are seeping into our imperfect and troubling reality…
In Second Thessalonians, a complaint about idleness is directed at a specific community that has abandoned a shared vision of the Christian community. Convinced that their own salvation means that they’re free to just “chill out” ‘til Jesus comes, the writer reminds them that there is still much work to be done to build the Kingdom of God – and that it will take everyone’s efforts. This is ultimately a democratizing vision, against the priestly hierarchies they are accustomed to. Because here, everyone matters.
In Luke, Jesus names the scary reality on the ground, where followers of Christ are targets of both state and religious violence, and where increasing tensions threaten widespread warfare. Then, he tells his people that he will be with them, guide them, and protect them unconditionally – and for all eternity.
So, we see that even troubling scriptures will crack open with hope, if we dare to tap into them.
The Bible will never gloss over the human condition. It is gritty and troubling, and sometimes prompts more questions than answers. And isn’t that just like life? Gritty, troubling, and often more confusing than clarifying.
But, the scriptures are also a record of hope already realized. And because of that, we can have hope and faith that God is present with us now.
In the midst of this mucky and murky human condition is a God lighting up the shadows, calling us out of exile, drawing us out of our self-involvement, healing broken things, troubling the powerful, and creating new heavens and a new earth to spite disaster, sin, and grief.
God grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures. God grant us so to hope, trusting that God is never idle, but always at work, reversing the curses of our fallen humanity.
Amen.
Leah Wise 