Servant of Others - Clara Barton

This week we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.  America remains today, the longest standing democracy known to man.  The individuals that provide the inspiration for the Guided by Faith series most likely did not have an expectation during their lives that this day would or would not be realized, however, based on their actions we are certain that they dedicated their lives to preserving the integrity of the American ideal.  Further, as the Founding Fathers intended, they placed their trust in God to guide them and to enable them to endure the most significant trials one might imagine.  As you plan your celebrations for this most relevant accomplishment as a country, please recall the words that will forever bind us to God and country – “.. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL”.

We turn now to Season 2 of Guided by Faith, subtitled Servant of Others.

This second season of Guided by Faith is intended to summarize how the most notable aspects of Clara Barton’s life and her commitment to servitude were influenced by her faith and that of others.

Transcript

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This week, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's independence. America remains today the longest standing democracy known to man. The individuals that provide the inspiration for the Guided by Faith series most likely did not have an expectation during their lives that this day would or would not be realized. However, based on their actions, we are certain that they dedicated their lives to preserving the integrity of the American ideal. Further, as the Founding Fathers intended, they placed their trust in God to guide them and to enable them to endure the most significant trials one might imagine. As you plan your celebrations for this most relevant accomplishment as a country, please recall the words that will forever bind us to God and country. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We turn now to season two of Guided by Faith, subtitled Servant of Others. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark chapter 10, verse five. This defining passage describing the essence of Christ's purpose on earth is at the center of the life of Clara Barton, notably one of the most accomplished persons, man or woman, in the history of the United States. Clara Barton, known mostly as the founder and long-standing leader of the American Red Cross, established and fostered a culture of servitude over 70 plus years that still exists and prospers today. America and the world in its entirety should be inspired by and owes a debt of gratitude for the unequal contributions to humanity made by and through the leadership of Clara Barton. This second season of Guided by Faith is intended to summarize how the most notable aspect of Clara Barton's life and her commitment to servitude was influenced by her faith and that of others. Please accept this invitation to hear her story. By the second and third decades of the 1700s, well in advance of the American Revolution, English settlers had established foundational and growing communities. One such community was Oxford, Massachusetts. Fifty miles west of Boston, Oxford, founded in 1713, had since the mid-1600s been an enclave dedicated to religious freedom, originating as a refuge of French Protestants fleeing religious persecution in their homeland. By the 1720s, English families, including Samuel Barton, Clara's great-grandfather, had come together to promote the kingdom of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Accordingly, under the direction of Reverend John Campbell, the Church of Christ was founded in Oxford on January 3, 1721. Just over 100 years later, on Christmas Day 1821, Clarissa Harlow Barton was born to Stephen Barton Jr. and his wife, Sarah Stone. Clarissa, soon to become Clara, was the youngest of five children in the Barton household. Although notably younger than her siblings, Clara would develop meaningful and long-standing relationships with each of them. Her relationships with her sisters, Dolly and Sally, provided relevant role models that formed her commitment to serving others. Her relationships with her brothers David and Stephen proved to be especially relevant during her formative years in Oxford as well as during her work during the Civil War. As noted earlier, the Oxford community was strongly influenced by its commitment to establishing a strong Christian foundation. The Oxford community embraced the fundamental tenets of the Universalist Church, which had its origin in New England during the late 1700s. Most notable about the Universalists' belief is the coexistence of salvation for all and the expectation of human moral responsibility. Specifically, the Universalists rejected the idea of eternal damnation, something embraced by many early American Christians, and embraced the idea that divine punishments were intended to be corrected rather than everlasting. In addition to the expectation of human moral responsibility, universalists emphasized ethical living, compassion, charity, and personal spiritual growth. Each of these will be evident in abundance in the life and accomplishments of Clara Barton. The concepts of salvation for all and the purpose of restorative discipline are present throughout Scripture. Job chapter 5, verse 17 affirms: Blessed is the one whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Hebrews 12 directly addresses the discipline of the Lord. My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. What we know of Clara Barton is that, except for a couple of notable childhood instances, not like unlike any of us, she was not one in need of frequent or substantial punishment. However, in those instances which have been known, what is evident is that Clara accepted the consequences graciously and learned from the experience, mostly of the loving care of her family and God. Discipline, in the corrective sense, when righteously applied, is a most personal matter. Thinking of those instances in our lives where discipline was most warranted, it is likely that its effectiveness was enhanced when it was well deserved. That is, we knew we had it coming. And the source of discipline was someone with whom we had a meaningful personal relationship. Whether it came from a parent, coach, supervisor, or for many of us, a spouse, discipline was far more impactful when, in the short and long term, we knew that the person cared for us and was going to love us long after our transgression. Clara's willingness and ability to care for others, especially those recovering from injury or illness, became evident at an early age. She was only 12 years old when she was withheld from school so that she could provide daily care for her brother David, who had suffered a severe head injury in an accident on the Barton farm. This commitment lasted almost two years, providing an indication that Clara had not only the physical stamina to provide the care, but maintained a steadfast commitment to the patient until such time as the condition approved, or as we will find out later, until that patient was called home to God. Interestingly, notwithstanding her stamina, it was not long after her brother's recovery and her return to school that the family noted a slowing in Clara's physical growth. Absent any other physical conditions or maladies, the family accepted this as normal. However, became more cautious as to the activities in which Clara was allowed to participate. Accordingly, Clara's focus, beyond her established household responsibilities, were academic in nature, especially the amount and complexity of the written works she absorbed. Clara's appetite for reading brought her to many of the literary classics of that time. Many of these works allowed Clara's mind to understand and accept the true magnitude and diversity of the world. This understanding and acceptance would truly serve her well when later she would embrace the mission of bringing the Red Cross to America. Further, her reading opened her personal awareness of the importance of understanding and accepting who she was and what she was called to do. Only in her late teens, upon reflection, Clara identified The Constitution of Man by George Comb, published in 1828, as most influential throughout her life. Specifically, the call within this text to know thyself was core to how Clara Barton, in her words, enriched my field of charitable judgment, enlarged my powers of forgiveness, made things plain that would have been obscure to me, easy that would have been hard, and sometimes made possible to endure without complaint that which might have otherwise proved unendurable. Clara fuller referenced these words from John Greenleaf Whittier. I know not where his islands lift, their fronded palms in air, I only know I cannot drift beyond his love and care. This belief is further reflected in the words of Paul in Romans chapter 12, verse 3. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. In 1839, at the age of 17, Clara Barton accepted her first teaching position in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Taking on the responsibility for educating 40 students of varying ages, some of whom nearly measured the same height as herself, she found this opportunity to be challenging and enlightening. To no surprise, Clara decided the path to success was to, in her words, blaze my own way. Accordingly, Clara opened the first session with what appears to have been a reading from the Sermon on the Mount, followed by a few questions which seemed to win over the hearts and minds of the students. From that point, and for the next 20 years, what is known is that the classrooms led by Clara Barton were amongst the best, not only in academic achievement, but also in discipline. Confused by this acknowledgement as a stern disciplinarian, Clara ultimately made the realization that the surest test of discipline is its absence. Because of her success in North Oxford, and after completing her own education at the Clinton Institute, which emphasized intellectual development, moral character, and relatively liberal religious principles, Clara was invited to open a school in Bordentown, New Jersey, a growing industrial town not far from Philadelphia. The school was unique because it was a public school, not yet common at the time, offered education to both boys and girls, also not common, and had an enrollment of over 150 students, considered large for that period. Most telling, however, is that the school became quickly known for its commitment to strict discipline, organized instruction, emphasis on basic literacy and math, and an orderly learning environment. Notwithstanding marked resistance from the community as to the rigors of the school, Clara prevailed in elevating the academic success of an increasing number of students. Most notable is that many of these students were young boys, considered by many to be irreparably beyond the merits of education, both by the community and by themselves. At this early stage in her career, Clara demonstrated an ability to engage with and provide hope, or for many, hope at any level was lost. The essence of Clara's success using a disciplined approach to education to provide hope to those most in need is captured in Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 5, verses 3 through 5. Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. It is likely we have all encountered a situation in which we believed all hope was lost. For many of us, this emotion may have arisen in connection with an identifiable activity or event, possibly the search for a lost item, an athletic or other competition, or in the most severe circumstances, the effort to keep a loved one alive. Whether to God or for some of us, a dedicated saint whom we have come to believe is especially responsive to certain circumstances. Saint Anthony is often called upon to help in finding lost items, such as your keys or wallet. And Saint Jude notably assists with lost causes, especially those related to medical or health matters. For many, however, hopelessness is not event-based, but is with them every day. For many, having no way out results in loneliness and despair. It is these forgotten people that we are especially called to engage and to provide the hope through which they can endure. One person that in many ways parallel the life and work of Claire Barton was Reverend Dr. Henry W. Bellows. Bellows, only seven years senior to Barton, would eventually become widely known for his authorship in 1860 of the restatements of Christian Doctrine. Essentially the compilation of twenty five sermons designed to reinterpret traditional Christian doctrines for a modern, intellectually engaged audience. Bellow's overall theological vision restated Christianity as rational, that is, compatible with modern thought, moral, focused on character and conduct, experiential, grounded in the inner life, progressive, meaning open to development, and Christ-centered. Although not essentially driven by theology, Barton was clearly fond of Bellows' writings and, in all respects, incorporated the fundamental concepts set forth by Bellows in her life's work. Possibly even more interesting is that their respective faith foundations brought Barton and Bellows to essentially the same place in how they chose to manifest these beliefs. As we will discuss at length in the episodes to come, Clara Barton became uniquely focused on providing on-site, real-time medical and other care initially to the combatants of the Civil War and ultimately to a much broader population of those most affected by war, strife, or natural disasters. Separately, as the Civil War unfolded, Bellows founded and was the driving force behind the United States Sanitary Commission, founded in 1861 and focused on medical care, sanitation, inspections, and logistics for Union Army camps and hospitals. Throughout the Civil War and beyond, Barton and Bellows would remain aligned in both their respective faith foundations, but possibly more meaningful, their commitments to those they served in the name of Christ. One notable quote from restatements of Christian doctrine, which addresses moral consciousness and may have been foundational to both Bellows and Barton's commitment to others, is the soul must be loyal to its own moral consciousness. Without question, women, including Americans, have provided some of the most meaningful responses to the call to help those most in need. Accordingly, we will end the episodes of this season of Guided by Faith with a prayer from notable American women of Christ. The first American citizen in the context of our country to be canonized, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, offered this prayer. Sacred heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Guide my thoughts, strengthen my will, and help me carry every cross with love. Never let me be separated from you. Amen.