On the Importance of Culture

A Sermon Delivered at the 2024 Kirkin' o' the Tartan in Johnson City, Tennessee

Friends, we gather here today to commemorate the rich legacy of our ancestors through the act of consecrating our tartans. While this may seem like an unusual act to others, offering blessings to a piece of fabric with a unique pattern, it is a worshipful act that means so much more. It is an act of community, bringing us all together under a common ritual that others do not practice. It is an act of ritual, giving us the opportunity to remember all the things our ancestors taught us. It is an act of defiance, demonstrating that no matter the persecution, oppression, and methods of cultural destruction wrought upon us by those who wish our forebearers to be more like them. We chose to practice the crafts of our predecessors and revel in our rich and ongoing Gaelic culture.

But why does our culture matter? It is a form of communication that allows us to connect with or without speech. Culture holds families together, offering wisdom from long-lost ancestors that have withstood the test of time. When we use our great-grandmother’s recipes, we are tasting her knowledge refined through decades of trail and error, and allow for our children and grandchildren to participate in this family history. When our young ones listen to the stories of their grandparents, they are imparting knowledge and wisdom so that they may learn from past mistakes. When we reminisce about the loved ones we have lost, we are keeping their memory alive so that they are never truly forgotten. Each of these things among many others are the wealth that cannot be measured through material gain, forming the means by which families are held together.

Through a shared history and traditional practices, culture brings families together to form a strong community. When we hear a single word or phrase in the Gaelic tongue, it is a badge of honor to know someone has put forth the time and dedication to keep our ancestral language alive. When we see someone else wearing a kilt or a noticeable tartan, it is a means of showing pride in one’s background and signifying to others that they are one of us. When we gather at the local pub, or eat together as a community, we celebrate these bonds of shared legacy and culture through the fare and libations of our ancestors.

A cultural aspect often overlooked, the remembrance of our history is done through the practice of rituals. These are the simple acts of daily life, whether it is the basic prayer at meals or attending church on Sundays. Each of these rituals are formed from practice cultivated under the tutelage of our families, providing order to one’s life. One’s spirituality blossoms forth through the encouragement of Sunday attendance, joining the larger community for the sake of worshipful bonding through our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we gather here today, we participate in this ritual cultivated by the Scottish Gaelic community in diaspora. This was not a hallowed legacy brought by our ancestors across the treacherous waters of the Atlantic, but one that serves as part of Scottish-American history. A history that is uniquely ours.

In our scriptural study, we see the Israelites often endured similar struggles. Despite what the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans had made these people endure, they knew who they were and faced their adversity with divine aid. With the advent of the Good Word brought to us by Jesus Christ, the early Christian community faced their own trials where they were often forced to renounce their faith or suffer an agonizing death. But they endured, keeping in mind the teaching that Paul gave to the Thessalonians saying, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.” Despite the cruelties wrought upon them, they held fast to what they were taught and continued to persevere. They impressed the Romans to the extent that centuries later it become the primary religion of the Roman Empire, which lasted until the 15^th century, and became the dominant religion of the world. This was initially not done by force but through the impact of dying for one’s faith.

Within the Isles of Britain and Ireland, we see more subtle forms of oppression be wrought upon the Brittonic and Gaelic peoples by the English. Despite the Irish teaching them the Christian way, who had cultivated their unique faith through the Welsh and Gallicans, the English offered their gratitude by referring to the Irish as “barbaric” and subjugated them under the pretense of teaching them “the right way.” Wasn’t it the Irish who taught them “the Way” in the first place? Is it Christian to force people to accept your way of life by the sword? This legacy carried on up to the 18^th century, where Gaelic and Brittonic children had their languages beaten out of them to the point where today every surviving Celtic language is on the verge of extinction. With the death of these languages, countless literary texts rich with meaning and history will no longer be accessible. The soul of the Gaels and Britons will be dead from the hands of their ungrateful neighbors.

When our ancestors made their way across the Atlantic, either by choice or through coercion, they brought with them what little material wealth they had but also their culture. Many settled in North Carolina, forming a community near the Cape Fear River, where they preserved their Gaelic heritage. Due to the political turmoil of the American Revolution, many chose to migrate to Nova Scotia and took their Gaelic literature with them. Those that stayed behind had the difficult task of maintaining their traditions, resulting in a slow decline to where some of the last Gaelic speakers were in the early 20^th century. Forming only a few years after the last speakers had entered into the Kingdom of God, that the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games were held. Today, it is one of the largest Highland Games in North America and serve as a symbol of how the flame never truly dies until the embers are gone.

Within contemporary society, the desire for wealth and reckless progress has driven us to a point where many are left feeling empty and hollow. So many of our friends and loved ones have succumb to gratifying our basest desires through fleeting pleasures, leaving our families fragmented without repair. These addictions have impacted our communities as well, to which many are left feeling like there is no end to the misery. When the people are in such a state, it makes one wonder what will happen to our traditions and heritage? Will it be treated as a vestige from a bygone era, something to be tossed aside for the new, shiny, and disposable?

In these precarious times, we should learn from the Jewish people in the perseverance of their culture and heritage. What was once a dormant language only taught amongst the learned, the Hebrew language was revived into Modern Hebrew and is now a prolific language within Israel and the diaspora. Much like them, we possess the opportunity to preserve our own culture against the corrosive tides that plague contemporary society. Rather than assent to the dissolution of our culture, heritage, community, and family, we can learn from Paul and hold fast to the traditions that were taught to us by mouth and letter.

We should learn from our early Christian brethren to not lose hope in the face adversity but allow it to be an opportunity for spiritual growth. Paul encouraged the Corinthians saying, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.  For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” For when we lose hope, and choose to give up rather than continue fighting the good fight, we have lost everything without the possibility of getting it back.

While modernity has given us many challenges, it has offered us many opportunities as well. We can bolster the community through responsible use of social media, connecting with our friends and family regardless of distance. Our artisans and tradespeople can sell their wares across the world, keeping their knowledge and traditional skills alive. Many parishes have begun broadcasting their services across the Internet, giving hope and edifying those who cannot leave their homes due to illness. A new development from the past couple of years, state-sponsored websites now teach our ancestral language completely free of charge. These instances offer a glimpse into how our families and communities can rebuild and lift ourselves up through these innovations, rather than letting them destroy it.

As this year’s Highland Games come to an end, I invite you to reflect upon the traditions, stories, and wisdom that has been imparted within your family. How have these aspects of your culture helped to keep your family together? How does attending these events help connect you with the larger community? Most importantly, what can you do to preserve these traditions and keep them alive for future generations? Let this Kirkin’ of the Tartan not only be a celebration of Scottish Gaelic heritage, but an opportunity to take part in the preservation of our culture. Teach the young about our rich Scottish legacy and heritage. Take up the Gaelic tongue and teach it to your family. Build each other up in the traditions that have withstood all forms of adversity, so that all may see to it that our culture has a brighter future. Amen.