Walking the Middle Way - November 3
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 37:1-9; Ecclus. 43:1-22; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; John 17:18-23
Today’s Reflection
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.” –Psalm 37: 7-9
Well, today is the big day. The day we have all been anticipating. It’s a momentous day in world history. Yes, that’s right, it’s the feast day of one of our favorite Anglican theologians, Richard Hooker!
Now, of course, we know there are other reasons why today is very important to the life of our nation and indeed the world. But it’s serendipitous that Election Day 2020 is November 3, the day in our church calendar when we give thanks for the life of Richard Hooker, who died on this day in 1600. Born in 1554, Hooker went on to be ordained a priest at age 25 (in 1579), and then died at (what was then) the ripe old age of 46.
Hooker’s major scholarly contribution to the life of the church is his treatise, The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity—which is to say, he developed some influential ideas on church governance. Hooker is recognized for articulating a vision of the via media, the middle way, which has over the past 400 years become one of the most defining characteristics of Anglican (and Episcopal) belief and practice. As one biographer, Robert Rea, observed, “Hooker’s aim was to emphasize the unity of Christendom before its divisions by pointing out first the things in which all Christians agreed: ‘I took it for the best and most perspicuous way of teaching, to declare first, how far we do agree, and then to show our disagreements.’” (If you are interested in reading more of Hooker’s life, you can read more about him here.)
The scripture readings appointed for Hooker’s feast day are instructive ones for us to reflect on today, the day we as Americans come together to cast our ballots to elect the next cadre of people who will lead our communities, states, and nation. In the passage from John’s Gospel, we hear Jesus praying for a unity amongst believers that will reflect the unity between the Father and the Son: “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17: 21-23).
And how are we empowered to be the kind of people who can embody this unity? Paul, in one of his letters to the Corinthians, points us toward being guided by the Holy Spirit in how we see our world and conduct ourselves in it: “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. … Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 12: 10, 12-13). As we center ourselves in prayer today, being attuned to the guiding of the Holy Spirit, the Psalmist reassures us that, “He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37: 6-7).
—Becky+
Collect for Richard Hooker: O God of truth and peace, who raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Lesser Feasts & Fasts 2018)
Questions for Self-Reflection
What does embodying “the middle way” mean for you in the way you interact with others, especially in this election season?
How can we as Christians simultaneously appreciate our diversity while maintaining a unity that attracts people to the body of Christ (rather than repelling them from the church)?
Daily Challenge
As you go about your life on this Election Day, and in the days and weeks that follow, commit to praying how you may walk along this “middle way,” promoting unity and peace with your neighbors in the church, in our community, and in our nation.