GLOBAL CONCERN
Matthew 28:16-20

A sermon given by the Rev. Richard H. Taylor
January 9, 2005 / First Sunday after Epiphany

When I was young some of today's text was a favorite Bible passage of mine: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," I liked it so much that I had it printed on the front cover of the invitation to my ordination "Go [to] all nations."

On my part there is something a little peculiar about talking about all nations. For actually, I am the quintessential American. The only time I ever left the United States was when I walked across the bridge at Niagara Falls into Canada, spent ten minutes in Canada and walked back. I didn't get very far into the world.

But the passage also shows up a certain peculiarity about Matthew. Scholars will tell you that Matthew's gospel was written to spread Jesus' gospel to the Jews. It is very focused on Jewish traditions and explains things in Jewish contexts. Nevertheless, it is in Matthew's gospel that Jesus leaves the instruction to go to every nation and teach every nation. It is also only Matthew that tells us about the magi and the star: right at the start bringing foreigners and other cultures, other world views and ideas into the Christian story. It is also only Matthew that tells us that Jesus went to Egypt as a refugee, who tells us that even Egypt, the land of Israelite slavery, can be a place for God's work.

Matthew and the Epiphany season seem to both believe that the only true Judaism is a light to lighten the gentiles. The only true religion extends beyond the local.

So there is this element in Christianity, right from the start, that Christianity is international, universal, that it extends beyond human boundaries. And I hope – in my love for our text – that I too have caught the vision.

It is that aspect of Christianity – that universality – that has perhaps been most often used to condemn the Congregational form of church government. When the Congregational form of church government was invented other religions said it was too local, too limited in its scope, too set on one locality. They said it lacked the vision of a truly "all nations" kind of Christianity. It was too in turned on the local to carry a breadth of vision.

Now at that time most Christian churches were established by their governments, and were connected to kings and princes. While their claim for universality covered more than one local church, they were churches defended by boundaries, armies and navies. And, unfortunately, the first Congregational churches in Massachusetts and Connecticut got caught up in some of the same nationalistic entanglements.

One might say that the first true test of congregationally-governed churches was in Rhode Island. Here because of freedom of religion, because of Rhode Island's "lively experiment," churches with local autonomous government could be tested. Did they have a world vision?

And also, unfortunately, the first congregationally-governed churches in Rhode Island had some of that incredible local focus that their detractors said they would have. Most of the first congregationally-governed churches in Rhode Island were small Baptist churches with very rigid rules that withdrew from the world. They were in many ways like Mennonites, early Anabaptists, even somewhat like the Amish. They separated themselves from others, even in their own towns, and had little vision beyond their own "holy" community.

They were very unlike modern Baptists. But Baptists changed and modern Baptists turned outwards in a major part through the work of Isaac Backus and James Manning, both of whom were strongly influenced by Joseph Snow, the first pastor of Beneficent Church. Indeed Beneficent Church was one of the first congregationally-governed churches, free of state sponsorship and establishment, that turned itself from an inward to an outward world view.

At the root of that was the fact that Beneficent Church was formed as part of the Great Awakening. The Awakening was a great religious ferment that overtook the American colonies. People that supported the Awakening wanted the church to reach out to all people in their communities regardless of class or culture. The Awakening preachers held large meetings, often outdoors, to which everyone was invited. Instead of being inwardly turned and worrying only about themselves, the Awakening churches paid attention to the people on the outside. They said something like, "No matter where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."

That's how it all began. Rhode Island Baptists copied Beneficent's lead and became outward looking evangelists as well.

Once you began on this firm foundation that you must look outward – go to all the nations, organizational patterns began to follow.

In American Congregationalism there were at least four major organizational movements that attempted to extend this outward looking identity for local churches, and Beneficent Church has played a major role in all four. Let me run them by for you quickly.

One of the first of these was a very literal reading of the text "go to all nations." Should American Christians care about people in other nations? The answer was "yes." In 1810 and 1812 several New Englanders decided to create the first foreign missionary body in America: the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. When it was chartered in 1812, one of the first board members was Governor William Jones, a member of Beneficent. The American Board not only sent missionaries, but encouraged health and education. Schools such as the American Universities in Beirut and Cairo were its children. Major hospitals in the third world were founded. Later it initiated food, relief, and development work. The Board had very close connections to people in Tamil Nadu Providence in southern India, and in the Jaffna area of Sri Lanka. People suffering from the tsunami are related to American Board locations there. In 1838, Beneficent's third pastor, Mark Tucker became a corporate member of the Board. This was during the period when it was not only the oldest, but the largest foreign mission board in America. The creation of strong international ties with people's of other lands grew from people in this building. Today this work is carried on by our United Church Global Ministries.

A second organizational response to "go to all nations" was the churches becoming more aware of the other churches in their own nation that might be struggling. Missionary societies were begun in several states, and these later affiliated in the American Home Missionary Society to do such things as found churches on the new frontier, help send clergy to places were there weren't any, support existing churches struggling through periods of change. Related bodies helped churches to build buildings, supply church school materials, and other services.

Again Beneficent came to the forefront. Not only were members here leaders in the Rhode Island Missionary Society, but the same pastor, Mark Tucker, became a director of the American Home Missionary Society in 1832, when it was only six years old, and a Vice President in 1844. Tucker, whose picture hangs in the front hall, by being both a Vice President of the Home Society and on the small corporate Foreign Board, became one of the most influential people in all of American mission work.

But that was not all. In 1865 Beneficent's fifth pastor, Alexander Huntington Clapp, left Beneficent to become the corresponding secretary of the American Home Missionary Society. That meant all the missionaries all over the country reported to him. Thirteen years later he became the Society's treasurer and editor. That meant he was the number two leader in the society, and as editor, explained their work to the world. All told he served as a leader of the Society for twenty-eight years.

The Society's work is continued in the Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ.

A third way in which people in congregationally-governed churches, that might have otherwise been only inwardly focused, was in their call to "go into all the world" as teachers of justice. Often this was done by individual members becoming leaders of local justice organizations. Stephen Wardwell, for years both organist and Sunday School Superintendent at Beneficent was one of the founders of the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society. But Wardwell and others also called on the churches to abandon their isolation and become involved in advocacy. He supported the work of the Amistad Committee founded in 1839 to aid some Africans kidnapped into slavery and ship wrecked on Long Island. Later that committee became the American Missionary Association, and Wardwell involved the Beneficent children in that work. The Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church continue this advocacy work.

The final organizational path going to all nations was the strengthening of the wide all nations work of the church itself. Dr. Arthur E. Wilson, Beneficent's eighth pastor, well remembered to many of us, became a strong supporter of the World Council of Churches. And as recently as 1990, Beneficent lay person Charlotte Gosselink served as Moderator of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the highest ranking lay office in our denomination.

The general work of the church includes maintaining clergy records, opening communications from church to church, study and research, and conversations and ecumenical dialogue with churches and other religions throughout our nation and world. In the national church the office of General Ministries carries on this work for us.

Well, what do you think? Should congregationally-governed local churches be focused only inwardly on themselves? Or should they see a world vision beyond their doors, heeding Jesus call to go to all nations? Throughout its history Beneficent has been unequivocal in its answer. We not only are for all the world, we have often been the creators or the leaders in encouraging congregationally-governed churches to have a wider vision.

These works that we started and we that we led are now the national portion of Our Church's Wider Mission, and Beneficent has maintained a solid commitment to these causes.

Our heritage, from the days of the Great Awakening when we said to the people of Providence "you all come," continues. May God keep clear in our mind and our hearts this world wide vision that Christ has given and that we have been privileged to support.

Amen.