Unfinished liberty

 

Matthew 11: 16-30
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
July 5, 2026

Photo of the Statue of Liberty from the back, looking away from the camera, showing her torso with her left arm carrying a large tablet with July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals on it and her right arm holding up a lighted torch lined with gold, against a white background.

I once heard it said that the reason men such as Roger Williams and Thomas Jefferson stood for the separation of Church and state was not to protect religion from the grasp of government but to protect the government from the grasp of religious fanaticism. Our different faith traditions are not to be a tool of the state but the conscience of the state, speaking truth to power, denouncing our government’s abuses and excess, and seeking justice for the suffering and oppressed. Even though this American experiment is now 250 years old, we are still testing the limits of this boundary.



Last week, on the same day that the Texas Board of Education approved a statewide reading list that includes Bible passages and no other religious texts, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick stated that the phrase “separation of Church and state” is not in the Constitution. He went on to say, “And from this day forward, that phrase should have no power over people of all faiths ever again in America.”



While it’s true that separation of Church and state is not in the original text of the Constitution, neither is the word “freedom”. Those concepts and rights were added to the rule of law in the Bill of Rights, along with other amendments, rights, and freedoms that have been added and ratified throughout the life of this nation. Just the Constitution is not a static document, the United States is not a static country. When we have gotten it wrong, and we have done so repeatedly, it is up to not only our government but all of us to rebuke, repair, and restore justice and mercy. So that our country continues to work at justice and liberty for all.



So I think it is entirely appropriate that in the lectionary for today Jesus is rebuking the powers that be on behalf of “the least of these” to whom this was good news. Jesus got political all the time, preaching against greed, exploitation, religious hypocrisy—it’s why Rome took him off the hands of some religious leaders and executed him. Empire doesn’t like it when the people they’re oppressing fight back.



In this passage, Jesus is frustrated because no matter how he or John the Baptist present themselves, the people behave like children saying “la, la, la”, refusing to listen because they don’t like the message they’re hearing. Which is ironic, because the lectionary skipped the passage of woes to the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Sidon, and Capernaum, essentially saying we don’t have to listen to Jesus if we don’t want to. Kinda like when people remind us that this is not a Christian nation or that no one is illegal on stolen lands built by stolen hands. So I included those verses because I get ornery when the lectionary does that.



Jesus rebukes these cities because even though mercy was extended to them, they would not turn toward God and God’s mercy. In essence, they liked it when things changed in their favor but they also wanted to keep what they had. Which is why Jesus compares them to Sodom, the city that was judged because they believed that what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours.



Jesus then offers a sidebar prayer. I can almost hear the background sarcasm in his voice. “Thank you, God, that you have hidden yourself from those who think they know it all, from influencers, pundits, web experts, and AI summaries, and made yourself clear to ones too young to be corrupted.” Then Jesus reminds his listeners once again that to know him, understand him is to know and understand God and Jesus is prepared to help people recognize God working in their own lives.



Now after all that justice talk, Jesus gives mercy and rest. Associate Dean of Yale Divinity School William Goettler says it’s not a blanket offer to everyone, but to “those who have been made weary by a world that fails to comprehend the burden of injustice”. Not only that, but a nation that heaps burden upon burden of injustice, traumatizing its own people. If you’re poor, it’s your fault. If you need an abortion, tough luck, and don’t come running to the state for assistance. If you can’t work enough to support yourself because of a disability, you should be put in an institution. If you’re transgender, your insanity should be eliminated.



This is where our nation has failed the most. We still do not hold these truths to be self-evident, that not only men, but all people are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The yoke of Jesus turns us from self-interest and joins us to the common good. Jesus knew that to liberate the poor, the rich must be liberated from their wealth and power. Two and half centuries later and the work of liberty is still not only unfinished, it is currently being dismantled. And there are Christians who not only support this, they are the architects.



The Church is called to be in solidarity with those who have been made weary by a world that fails to comprehend the burden of injustice. This Table is where we welcome those weary ones, in this safe space, where all are fed and forgiven, comforted and supported. At this Table we are given the strength and courage to respond not with hate and anger but with love, that power to disrupt our lives for others and interrupt the patterns of injustice. This Table, and all of us, is one safe place where we keep our hope and work for liberty alive. May it be so. Amen.

Benediction – by Shani McIlwain


May we tell the truth about where we have been.
May we honor both the beauty and brokenness of our collective story.
May we grow in courage and compassion.
May we become more just, more welcoming, more honest, more whole.
May liberty become more than language.
May justice become more than aspiration.
May welcome become more than poetry.
May this birthday give us more than we ask for.
May this next chapter honor our becoming.