LET MY PEOPLE GO

​Let My People Go

“I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
 
IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS
Thoughts & Sermons By – Robert Paul Starbuck MDiv, PhD


WHEN GOOD CHRISTIAN MEN & WOMEN — or people from any faith or spiritual tradition, allow the politicians — the fear mongers — and the demagogues of any society to sow discord —  and to reduce our civility to angry exchanges  — to emotional and physical violence. When we see and hear them weaponize social media — assault us and our neighbors daily with their incessant grievances and victimizations — we may not be as able as we would wish — to serve in love the God of History and the Christ of Faith.
 
When we allow all these distractions to consume us, it is hard to live the abundant life of love God has granted and that we deserve within creation. Christians have been given two commandments always to follow. When we do not follow and practice them, sin abounds.
 
When we abandon these commandments, when we worship other idols, when we dehumanize a people, when we dehumanize one another, when we turn our eyes away from intentional cruelty towards others without protest, then we are guilty of the most grievous of sins.  We have placed our ideologies before God’s love and compassion, and in that process, taken God’s name in vain, for “God is Love, ” and we become enslaved by sin.
 
When all our political ideologies and policies are directed against the most vulnerable among us. When we marginalized and disenfranchised people seeking freedom, equality, fairness, justice, mercy, safety, basic food, and shelter. When these political ideologies become graven images. When we stop following God's two greatest commandments, we abandon our faith and God's gift of compassion and grace and begin to worship idols.
 
We become cult followers of a political faith, which has taken over our one true Christian faith and God's call to love one another. When we deny another person the dignity of their humanity and basic human rights, we cease worshiping God. We stop following the Lord's two greatest commandments.
 
When we stop loving our neighbors, all our neighbors near and far.  When we do these things, we miss the mark by an immeasurable margin and have greatly sinned. Because sin is the ultimate separation of ourselves from the source of all being, between one another, and between ourselves and God. And to live in such a state of separation is to be enslaved by sin.

​
WHEN GOOD CHRISTIAN MEN & WOMEN — or people from any faith or spiritual tradition, allow the politicians — the fear mongers — and the demagogues of any society to sow discord —  and to reduce our civility to angry exchanges  — to emotional and physical violence. When we see and hear them weaponize social media — assault us and our neighbors daily with their incessant grievances and victimizations — we may not be as able as we would wish — to serve in love the God of History and the Christ of Faith.  

When we allow all these distractions to consume us, it is hard to live the abundant life of love God has granted and that we deserve within creation. ​Christians have been given two commandments to always follow. When we do not follow and practice them sin abounds.

When we abandon these commandments, when we worship other idols, when we dehumanize a people, when we dehumanize one another, when we turn our eyes away from intentional cruelty towards others without protest, then we are guilty of the most grievous of sins.  We have placed our ideologies before God’s love and compassion, and in that process taken God’s name in vain, for “God is Love, ” and we become enslaved by sin.

When all our political ideologies and policies are directed against the most vulnerable among us. When we marginalized and disenfranchised people seeking freedom, equality, fairness, justice, mercy, safety, basic food and shelter. When these political ideologies become graven images. When we stop following God's two greatest commandments, we abandon our faith and God's gift of compassion and grace, and begin to worship idols.

We become cult followers of a political faith, which has taken over our one true Christian faith and God's call to love one another. When we deny another person the dignity of their humanity and basic human rights, we cease worshiping God. We stop following the Lord's two greatest commandments.

When we stop loving our neighbors, all our neighbors near and far.  When we do these things, we miss the mark by an immeasurable margin and have greatly sinned.  Because, sin is the ultimate separation of our self from the source of all being, between one another, and between ourselves and God. And to live in such a state of separation is to be enslaved by sin itself.

Let My People Go...

 
“WHEN IN THE COURSE of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
 
We hold these truths to be self–evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
 
THESE WORDS as we know or should know are the opening words found in the Declaration of Independence written over 240 years ago. I immediately perceived a parallel between what was happening in 1776 and the events as recorded in Biblical history when the children of Israel were in bondage to the Egyptians.
 
I ask you to look with me this morning at this parallel. Allow your eyes to open but mostly your heart. Do you not see Moses and Aaron, standing before Pharaoh — crying out to him, “Let my people go!”  Then let your mind move forward to the third quarter of the 18th century.
 
Our founding fathers tried in vain to negotiate with Great Britain, but their efforts were for naught. Great Britain was such a powerful nation during this time in history. America became just another opportunity for them to gain more power and more wealth. Over the years, America grew into thirteen colonies.
 
The straw that broke the camel's back so to speak was the continuous increase in taxes. Finally, the cry from these thirteen colonies to the British Empire was taxation without representation. On June 7,1776, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, where Richard Henry Lee proposed a resolution urging them to declare independence. This led to the drafting by Thomas Jefferson of the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776 on what was described as a bright sunny, but cool Philadelphia day.
 
Great Britain refused to grant such independence, which led to the Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783. We tend to forget about those years and focus only on July 4th. We tend to forget the suffering and the loss of lives. This is so true for every war. We forget the hardships, the pain, the anguish and distress that go with every war.
 
In many ways, the picture was no different when Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh — crying out to him “Let my people go.” Pharaoh was just as mean and stubborn as was Great Britain, for he said to them: “Who is the Lord, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover; I will not let Israel go.”
 
We know the rest of the story – so many stories – so much suffering before they reached the Promised Land. Their history is insurmountable — their faithfulness to the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. Israel grew into a monarch form of government: the three great kings — Saul, David, and Solomon. Later in history, the nation was divided, and finally the downfall of Samaria in 721 BC and Jerusalem in 587 BC.
 
Let my people go! We can still hear the cry. We hear it in every generation, in every nation, in every country. We do believe all men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
 
Yesterday we celebrated our nation's birthday, and we continue it this morning. It has become a tradition for Sunset to set aside this Sunday each year, to recognize and participate in our nation's birth.
 
Our patriotism overflows, our cup runneth over. There are many of us who have served in the armed forces of our country. I doubt if there is one family present this morning whose immediate or extended family has not suffered the loss of a member over these past two-hundred plus years.
 
As I have drawn a parallel between the time when Moses and Aaron stood between Pharaoh and our founding father stood before Great Britain, so there is a parallel between our religious faith and the role it played in forming the constitution of this United States of America.
 
During the next few moments let us examine life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in light of our own faith. Jesus used the word “life” throughout his ministry.
 
“I have come that you might have life and have
 it more abundantly.”
“He who finds his life will lose it”
“It is the spirit that gives life.”
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
 
Jesus looked down at the man who had been lying by the pool for 38 years. Do you want to be healed? Then “Take up your pallet (life) and walk.” Jesus is not talking about life in its literal sense. He is not talking about our mere existence. When someone asks me how I am doing and I give them that flipped answer — ‘Well, I'm still above-ground’ — that's not what Jesus is talking about. We can be above-ground, get up every morning, go to work, do our daily chores and still — not experience the life Jesus was talking about.
 
He said, “It is the spirit that gives life.” It is the grace within you – the inner being and spirit who dwell deep within you. It is that unique “YOU,” that no one else has because there is only one of you. Jesus is saying to each of us “You are special!” So if you find that “YOU” — that grace within you will immediately lose it. Jesus said to us, “He who finds his life will lose it?”
 
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! The word Liberty — what does it mean? You're right! It means freedom. It means being able to do as one pleases. It means freedom from physical restraint. It also means one has permission to go freely within limited  boundaries. In other words, I do not have the right to come on your property or cross the boundaries of your existence unless you give me that right.
 
Theologically speaking, it has even a deeper mean. Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 
 
You will no longer be thirsty if you drink the water that I give. You will no longer be hungry if you eat the bread which I give. Jesus used so many parables in setting us free. He often found it difficult to get through to those around him and once said that sheep hear my voice, “why can't you understand.”
 
I give you eternal life — take it — it's yours. Jesus wasn't talking about life after death. He was talking about life right now, in this very moment, in this very place. If you accept this eternal life you will be free. The shackles that bind you will be removed. The wall which you have built around you to protect yourself from being hurt again because of what someone has said or done to you will just crumble away. 
 
Once again, you will stand naked but free. Vulnerable, yes – but free. The person who is free is always vulnerable — subject to be hurt again, subject to fall from grace again; but, also subject to be loved again.
 
Do you want to be loved again? Do you truly want to reach out and love other? If you say “yes” to either one or both of those questions, then you know something of what it means to be free.

“Let my people go!” 
 
There is a voice within you — deep within, but it is there. Be still and listen — you will hear its voice. It is a power greater than yourself — that power you may call God or Lord or Yahweh or Christ. It is your salvation, your saving grace.
 
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Our pursuit for happiness always follows our pursuit for life and liberty. This is the eternal life that Jesus talks about. It is the truth that sets us free. It is never ours to keep. It is only ours to share. A still small voice – quietly saying but with a thunderous overtone — “Let my people go!”

This is the voice of the Indwelling Holy Spirit who acts as comforter and counselor, who directs us towards God's mercy and justice. A justice that is always tempered by God's loving compassion. So, I say to you once again, as did the Prophets of the Old Testament, when good men and women of any faith allow the fear mongers and demagogues of society to assault us and our neighbors daily, we are not serving the God of History or the Christ of Faith.
 
I close this sermon by sharing with you a poem recently written by someone I have known for a long time. Don't ask for his name now. You may receive it later if you ask. He first writes a prologue which provides us with the background and setting of the poem.
 
The Harris County Courts District is at the northeastern edge of downtown Houston, Texas, quite close to Minute Maid Park.  Within the district are several social services organizations, various county agencies and courts, the Harris County Jail, as well as Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal), and Annunciation Catholic Church.  The district includes a diversity of people.  It is quite common to encounter the immigrant, the undocumented, the stranger, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned.
 
THE JESUS PRAYER FLAG
 
this morning, quite early
in fact,
an hour or so after dawn
while walking to my office
 
I saw a parking garage attendant
in the courthouse district
of downtown Houston
waiving a red–orange
traffic flag
back and forth
back and forth
with the word
JESUS
written there
 
there he was
waving Jesus around
for all the world to see
he was waving Jesus
like a
Tibetan Buddhist prayer flag
flying in the wind
stirring up the Holy Spirit
 
he was waving Jesus as a message
as a hope
as a charity
as a blessing
as a reminder
in remembrance
so that we might
wake up and 
remember too
 
if you listened
carefully
clearly
you can hear
the voices
of the stranger
the immigrant
the undocumented 
the homeless
the poor
the imprisoned, on parole
the weary
like voices from heaven
as they too passed
by
 
saying ...
 
Come, Lord Jesus
Come, Lord Jesus
Come, Lord Jesus
 
uttering his name without pause
as a prayer, as a song, as a thought
 
in the back of my mind I can hear them singing
 
“Jesus loves me this I know
so the Bible tells me so”
I’m sure it was a prayer
a cry from heaven even,
it must have been
for I heard the voices too,
the voices of angels
appearing and arising
as unexpected messengers
as strangers
and
 
I think I saw Jesus smiling,
I’m sure I did,
in the smiles on their faces
 
as I passed by looking, seeing
but staying quiet all the same
not a whisper crossing my lips
not even a small hello
 
but certainly a smile, and a hint of some
blessing unasked for
grace given freely
freely accepted
 
a witness to
God's compassion
at work
in the world
the Kingdom
of God
coming closer
and closer
each day
 
 
Amen
 
Poem by Ron Starbuck
 
 
Book of Common Prayer
According to the use of
The Episcopal Church — Church Publishing Incorporated, New York
The Holy Eucharist: Rite One
 
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires
known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the
thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy
holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the Law and the Prophets.
 
Lord, have mercy upon us.               Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy upon us.            Christe eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us.               Kyrie eleison.
 
 
 
Sermon is from:  
IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS
Thoughts & Sermons By
Robert Paul Starbuck MDiv, PhD
 
Published by
SAINT JULIAN PRESS, Inc. 
www.saintjulianpress.com

COPYRIGHT © 2018
TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTEEN
© Saint Julian Press, Inc.

EDITED BY RON STARBUCK
ISBN-13: 978-1-7320542-2-6
ISBN: 1-7320542-2-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018911041
Cover Art: St. John Lutheran Church – Easton, Kansas 
Original Photograph by Kelly Mailen

Cover Design: Ron Starbuck
Author’s Photo Credit: Family Archives
 
Sermon originally delivered at Sunset United Methodist Church in July 2009, with this version edited in August 2019 and October 2020.