Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [BCP p. 215]
The author in 1974 (Spokane) To Serve and to Protect
Does anyone like being told what to do? Probably not, but most of us buck up and do what needs to be done, regardless. It doesn’t matter who the teller is. As children, the primary teller was a parent. I am sure I was not a perfect child, although I don’t recall ever disobeying. I am sure I got reminded not to be sassy. We had a leather riding crop that sat upon the mantle while I was growing up. I knew it was for horses (although I don’t remember my parents ever riding any horses), but I also remember clearly being very afraid of that riding crop. I don’t recall ever having it used on me, or having my folks ever threaten to use it on me (or my brother), and yet I had an instinctive fear of what it COULD mean if I ever got out of line.
Doing what we’re told to do is nothing new. One can’t go driving anywhere without paying attention to signs and signals. I was preparing to cross a busy street near our house and began to hit escape velocity with our car when an automobile (I was timing my actions against) abruptly changed lanes, slowed down, and made a left turn. It threw off my timing, but fortunately I reacted swiftly enough to avoid a collision. The accident would have been my fault, if we’d collided, but the other driver was also partially to blame as they had failed to signal. I know. I looked for the turn signal. That’s what I do when I drive. I pay attention to what’s going on. I also take into account n’er-do-wells and rapscallions who don’t follow the rules or obey the laws.
One of the things that happens as we age is developing the capacity to be self-led and self-taught. We follow the rules, not by reciting them in our heads, but by knowing them “by heart.” That comes from years and years of practice. We do the right thing because the habit has been formed in us to do the right thing. It is so much a habit, we don’t need to think about it.
“Almighty God, you govern all things …” What does it mean for God to “govern” all things, to govern “all” things?
As one who likes to dig deep into words and into language, I found myself checking up on the word “govern” and learned that it traces itself back through Middle English, to Old French (gouverner), to Latin (gubernare), to Greek (kybernan), meaning “to steer.” (Dictionary.com)
When thinking of God, it is probably natural to think of “governor” in the sense of leading or directing by fiat. Another Latin word for that is Imperium, as in imperial. This is the right to be obeyed. A police officer directing traffic must be obeyed, not because he or she carries a firearm, but because they’ve been empowered by the state to enforce the laws and keep the peace. One could think of God as the ultimate peace-keeper.
Another Latin word that describes the exercise of power is Auctoritas (from whence we derive our word Authority. This is the power of experience or study. The power of a professor is their expertise, their study. The power of a plumber is their experience working with water, pipes, tubes, gaskets, and such whatnot.
What sort of Governor is God? Does God operate through Imperium or Auctoritas? Probably both, if we get right down to it. God gives us the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions. God is also the Creator of all that is or ever will be. God put us together, as individuals, but also put us together as a community. God has watched over the human race for hundreds of thousands of years and has a fair notion of what works and what doesn’t. When God says, “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” God is speaking as much from experience (Auctoritas) as fiat, eh?
In our collect, we acknowledge both the power and the authority of God in our lives, and pray God will listen to us, that God will hear our supplications – the fruit of which is peace. A supplication isn’t just a request. It is a form of begging. It means to get down on one’s knees and BEG God for help. It is a word for an ugly crying kind of prayer.
How many of us ugly cry for peace? For justice? For the homeless? For the sick? For Palestinians, Ukrainians, Ecuadorians?
If we take this prayer at its face value, we have to admit that this is no safe, quaint prayer we offer to God. It’s not wishful thinking. It can’t end with a polite Amen at the end, and a quick little crossing of self when we’re done. No, if we look to God our Governor, we need to acknowledge that we are God’s Red Cross workers, God’s Thin Blue Line, God’s Soup Kitchen Orderlies.
“People are hungry,” we say. “Feed them,” God replies.
“People are homeless,” we cry. “House them,” God insists.
“People are trampling the needy,” we tattle. “Smash-mouth the mothers,” declares the God of faithfulness and justice!
Now, this may seem a bit harsh. God is love, and to think God would have us engage in a certain kind of “tough love” may cut against the grain. It does for me. I think the Church (as an institution) has historically set way too much stock in flogging people with their sinfulness and guilt. I would say that has driven far more people out of the Church than drawn them into it. It has promoted all forms of hypocrisy over the years.
Nevertheless, we don’t toss the baby out with the bathwater, do we? The love of God does not eliminate the faithfulness of God or the call for justice or acts of righteousness. Our job isn’t to point out the sins of others, but to stand firm on how we understand what justice is, and invite people to stand with us. Police officers in our society “respond” to crimes, but a living wage, food and water security, accessible healthcare and public education “prevent” crime. Working for a just society promotes peace in ways the long hairy arm of the law never can.
“God, you steer all things in heaven, on earth, and (indeed) you steer the universe itself. Help us to see injustice; steer us away from committing injustices; give us strength and courage to confront injustices; and give us grace to overcome injustices at every turn. Help us find peace at the last.”
Amen
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