Sermon preached at St. Alban's on May 10, 2015
Sixth Sunday of Easter
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
I’m going
to deviate from the lessons this morning in an attempt to revive a tradition of
the western Church; a tradition which is not apostolic in the sense of it
having its origins in Scripture, but apostolic in the sense that it was
introduced by a bishop in the late 5th century.
Imagine a world being terrorized by ruthless thugs; a world plagued with disease; a world where the forces of nature seem hell bent on eradicating humanity from existence; a world in which the doctrine of the Church is under assault by her own leadership.
That shouldn’t be too hard to imagine, because there are distinct parallels to our own times, but imagine it all being concentrated into a relatively small area and you will comprehend the state in which Vienne, France found itself during the episcopate of Mamertus in A.D. 470.
You see, the Goths were invading Gaul; the teachings of Arius still lingered nearly a hundred years after being declared heresy; earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and spontaneous forest fires racked the countryside causing “the incursions of bears, boars, and wolves”; all leaving death and disease in its wake.
Convinced that they were bearing God’s judgment for the sins of the people, Bishop Mamertus proposed a penitential remedy; “We shall pray to God that he will turn away the plagues from us, and preserve us from all ill, from hail and drought, fire and pestilence, and from the fury of our enemies; to give us favorable seasons, that our land may be fertile, good weather and good health, and that we may have peace and tranquility, and obtain pardon for our sins.” And thus, the days of rogation began to take root in the soil of Church tradition.
The word “rogation” is derived from the Latin word “rogare” which means to ask. Historically, the “Minor Rogations” have been assigned to the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension Day, which corresponds with the observances established by Bishop Mamertus. His call was for a strict fast of three days and long processions, during which psalms were sung and prayers of petition were asked. This ritual was readily received by the people of Vienne and almost immediately their example was replicated across France, which in time became universal in the West. By A.D. 511, it was decreed that all Churches were to celebrate these Rogation Days
Rogation Day ceremonies are believed to have arrived in Britain at some point in the 7th century with the oldest known liturgical texts found in Sarum, which stem from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The ceremonial traditions ebbed and flowed throughout England’s turbulent history, but always involved some form of procession around the geographical parish, which aside from the ecclesiastical aspects also provided a civic message in that the parish boundaries were clearly delineated, thus greatly diminishing property disputes. These Rogation processions became known as the “beating of the bounds”.
Unfortunately, the Rogation Days are rarely observed anymore for numerous reasons. People are too busy or otherwise incapable of long outdoor processions; in America, parish boundaries are relegated to the perimeter of the church yard, which can be verified by Google earth; most of our food is produced through large scale agribusiness and supermarkets; and quite frankly, most Christians disbelieve in Divine Judgment, which I will discuss more fully in a moment.
Because of the inaccessibility of weekday celebrations, the Sunday before the Rogation Days has been designated Rogation Sunday. Processions, if any, are usually held inside the Sanctuary, especially in those Churches with side and center aisles, and the liturgy is lightly seasoned with hymns of creation and prayers for favorable growing conditions, with some symbol of our agricultural past being displayed. For example when I was a child, all of the children in the Church were given little terra cotta pots with petunias or begonias to be taken home and transplanted into resident gardens if they existed. But for the most part Rogation Sunday and the Rogation Days have been allowed to slip into obscurity like so many other traditions of the Church, which in my opinion, is to our own detriment and impoverishment.
So with that said, at the Offertory, I will ask representatives of the youth of our parish to bring up certain items which symbolize various aspects of our Church family life, some with an echo of our agricultural past. These will include the collection of our finances, bread, wine, water, soil, seed, and small, wooden crosses, over which self-explanatory prayers will be asked. It was my intent to take the youth on a procession around the Church property after the Eucharist, but I don’t believe the weather is going to cooperate. In any case, it is my hope that an interest in Church history and customs will take root in their hearts and that perhaps the richness of the Anglican tradition can once again come to full bloom in at least this part of the Episcopal Church and the great agricultural state of Iowa.
Now in closing I want to go back to that which I alluded a moment ago. We, as a collection of nations, but in particular, the United States of America, no longer believe that any of the unrest and calamities which beset us is the result of sin or God’s judgment, but that too, may be to our detriment and impoverishment. We think we have too much knowledge, too much expertise, and too much enlightenment to make the mental leap between the two. I might add that we have too much hubris, which may be the heart of the matter.
This past week, on the 7th of May, was the National Day of Prayer, which by its very location in the calendar may be a volunteer offshoot of the Rogation Days. Regardless of that speculation, the theme for this year was “Lord, hear our cry!” and people across the nation were called to gather together in order to ask God to shed His Grace over seven areas of our national life; Government, Military, Media, Education, Business, Families, and last, but not least, the unity of the Church. Each speaker listed specific needs within their particular sphere for which prayer might be offered, and interestingly enough, all made mention in some way of how difficult it is to be a Christian in their particular sphere, with the exception of the last, which mentioned how difficult it is to be a Christian in the world at large.
It was a wonderful event! I wish more of you had been there. Who am I kidding; I wish any of you had been there. Anyway, as I prayed, I definitely experienced the Presence of the Holy Spirit among us. I went into the service extremely tired from a busy day; I went away feeling refreshed and hopeful.
But as I reflect on that evening, the one missing component was our own culpability! Not on an individual basis, although that is where it begins, but collectively! Because as a nation; as a culture, as a collection of Churches, we are responsible for the problems which we were asking God to address! We have allowed reason, logic, common sense, common courtesy, respect, duty, morality, and any number of other virtuous qualities to erode from our common life. And above all, we have neglected to recognize the Authority of our Sovereign Lord as revealed in the person of Christ Jesus and in Holy Scripture; in doing so we have sinned against God and our neighbor, and are currently reaping that which we have sown. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like judgment to me.
Brothers and sisters in Christ; what Bishop Mamertus instituted so many years ago was no different than that which has taken place countless times throughout salvation history. When historical events create dismal conditions which bring disorder, destruction, and death, the people of God cry out in penitence! And God, in His mercy, responds! To that end I believe that the Church in her wisdom has set aside certain seasons to promote this need for penitence, even in the midst of a season of joy like Easter. So it would behoove us never to forget this need for penitence, always ask for forgiveness and blessing, and forever give thanks to the Lord who hears our cry. In Nomine Patris
Imagine a world being terrorized by ruthless thugs; a world plagued with disease; a world where the forces of nature seem hell bent on eradicating humanity from existence; a world in which the doctrine of the Church is under assault by her own leadership.
That shouldn’t be too hard to imagine, because there are distinct parallels to our own times, but imagine it all being concentrated into a relatively small area and you will comprehend the state in which Vienne, France found itself during the episcopate of Mamertus in A.D. 470.
You see, the Goths were invading Gaul; the teachings of Arius still lingered nearly a hundred years after being declared heresy; earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and spontaneous forest fires racked the countryside causing “the incursions of bears, boars, and wolves”; all leaving death and disease in its wake.
Convinced that they were bearing God’s judgment for the sins of the people, Bishop Mamertus proposed a penitential remedy; “We shall pray to God that he will turn away the plagues from us, and preserve us from all ill, from hail and drought, fire and pestilence, and from the fury of our enemies; to give us favorable seasons, that our land may be fertile, good weather and good health, and that we may have peace and tranquility, and obtain pardon for our sins.” And thus, the days of rogation began to take root in the soil of Church tradition.
The word “rogation” is derived from the Latin word “rogare” which means to ask. Historically, the “Minor Rogations” have been assigned to the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension Day, which corresponds with the observances established by Bishop Mamertus. His call was for a strict fast of three days and long processions, during which psalms were sung and prayers of petition were asked. This ritual was readily received by the people of Vienne and almost immediately their example was replicated across France, which in time became universal in the West. By A.D. 511, it was decreed that all Churches were to celebrate these Rogation Days
Rogation Day ceremonies are believed to have arrived in Britain at some point in the 7th century with the oldest known liturgical texts found in Sarum, which stem from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The ceremonial traditions ebbed and flowed throughout England’s turbulent history, but always involved some form of procession around the geographical parish, which aside from the ecclesiastical aspects also provided a civic message in that the parish boundaries were clearly delineated, thus greatly diminishing property disputes. These Rogation processions became known as the “beating of the bounds”.
Unfortunately, the Rogation Days are rarely observed anymore for numerous reasons. People are too busy or otherwise incapable of long outdoor processions; in America, parish boundaries are relegated to the perimeter of the church yard, which can be verified by Google earth; most of our food is produced through large scale agribusiness and supermarkets; and quite frankly, most Christians disbelieve in Divine Judgment, which I will discuss more fully in a moment.
Because of the inaccessibility of weekday celebrations, the Sunday before the Rogation Days has been designated Rogation Sunday. Processions, if any, are usually held inside the Sanctuary, especially in those Churches with side and center aisles, and the liturgy is lightly seasoned with hymns of creation and prayers for favorable growing conditions, with some symbol of our agricultural past being displayed. For example when I was a child, all of the children in the Church were given little terra cotta pots with petunias or begonias to be taken home and transplanted into resident gardens if they existed. But for the most part Rogation Sunday and the Rogation Days have been allowed to slip into obscurity like so many other traditions of the Church, which in my opinion, is to our own detriment and impoverishment.
So with that said, at the Offertory, I will ask representatives of the youth of our parish to bring up certain items which symbolize various aspects of our Church family life, some with an echo of our agricultural past. These will include the collection of our finances, bread, wine, water, soil, seed, and small, wooden crosses, over which self-explanatory prayers will be asked. It was my intent to take the youth on a procession around the Church property after the Eucharist, but I don’t believe the weather is going to cooperate. In any case, it is my hope that an interest in Church history and customs will take root in their hearts and that perhaps the richness of the Anglican tradition can once again come to full bloom in at least this part of the Episcopal Church and the great agricultural state of Iowa.
Now in closing I want to go back to that which I alluded a moment ago. We, as a collection of nations, but in particular, the United States of America, no longer believe that any of the unrest and calamities which beset us is the result of sin or God’s judgment, but that too, may be to our detriment and impoverishment. We think we have too much knowledge, too much expertise, and too much enlightenment to make the mental leap between the two. I might add that we have too much hubris, which may be the heart of the matter.
This past week, on the 7th of May, was the National Day of Prayer, which by its very location in the calendar may be a volunteer offshoot of the Rogation Days. Regardless of that speculation, the theme for this year was “Lord, hear our cry!” and people across the nation were called to gather together in order to ask God to shed His Grace over seven areas of our national life; Government, Military, Media, Education, Business, Families, and last, but not least, the unity of the Church. Each speaker listed specific needs within their particular sphere for which prayer might be offered, and interestingly enough, all made mention in some way of how difficult it is to be a Christian in their particular sphere, with the exception of the last, which mentioned how difficult it is to be a Christian in the world at large.
It was a wonderful event! I wish more of you had been there. Who am I kidding; I wish any of you had been there. Anyway, as I prayed, I definitely experienced the Presence of the Holy Spirit among us. I went into the service extremely tired from a busy day; I went away feeling refreshed and hopeful.
But as I reflect on that evening, the one missing component was our own culpability! Not on an individual basis, although that is where it begins, but collectively! Because as a nation; as a culture, as a collection of Churches, we are responsible for the problems which we were asking God to address! We have allowed reason, logic, common sense, common courtesy, respect, duty, morality, and any number of other virtuous qualities to erode from our common life. And above all, we have neglected to recognize the Authority of our Sovereign Lord as revealed in the person of Christ Jesus and in Holy Scripture; in doing so we have sinned against God and our neighbor, and are currently reaping that which we have sown. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like judgment to me.
Brothers and sisters in Christ; what Bishop Mamertus instituted so many years ago was no different than that which has taken place countless times throughout salvation history. When historical events create dismal conditions which bring disorder, destruction, and death, the people of God cry out in penitence! And God, in His mercy, responds! To that end I believe that the Church in her wisdom has set aside certain seasons to promote this need for penitence, even in the midst of a season of joy like Easter. So it would behoove us never to forget this need for penitence, always ask for forgiveness and blessing, and forever give thanks to the Lord who hears our cry. In Nomine Patris