September 7, 2016

“For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.”
Canticle 18:  A Song to the Lamb

Canticle 18 is appointed to be read at Morning Prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays after the lesson from the New Testament.  It is one of my favorite canticles that we say during the course of the week, which is a good thing since we get to recite it twice.

There are a variety of reasons this is a favorite canticle – channeling my inner Statler and Waldorf, it's short; it has a nice flow; it gives praise and honor to our God.  But the thing that really makes this my favorite canticle are the lines quoted above.

There is an acknowledgment that God created everything, and everything's very essence is wrapped up in the creative powers of God.

Because we were created by God, we rightfully belong to God.  As any artist, author, or someone holding a patent, what was created by them belongs to them.  God holds the patent on our lives and we rightfully belong to God.

Through the sacrificial act of Jesus' crucifixion, we have been redeemed.  We live in a world of God's creation, but we participate in a fallen and sinful world of our own making.  Jesus' Passion, his willingness to sacrifice himself, his dying so that we might live, his dying for our sins is that great redemptive act that makes us worthy to stand before God.

It was not only for our sins he died, but for the sins of the whole world.  The.  Whole.  World.  From every family, language, people, and nation, Jesus sacrificed himself so that everyone might become part of the kingdom of priests to serve God.

It just might be that last line that I appreciate, treasure, and ponder most of all:  every family, language, people, and nation.  When I wonder why certain families are the way they are, I need to remember that every family is welcome to be part of God's family.  When I begin to distrust people speaking different languages, I need to remember that all languages reflect the language of God.  When I get annoyed with certain people, I need to remember that all people rightfully belong to God.  When I fear people of other ethnicities, I need to remember that God has laid claim to all nations.

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.

This canticle that is recited every Tuesday and Thursday reinforces that statement.  We are all part of a kingdom of priests, and you are all welcome here.

Amen.