For many of us, this week is prone to nostalgia. We have fond memories of America’s birthdays gone by, and we tend to enjoy reliving those picturesque celebrations of the red, white, and blue. As I pen these words, I pray for you and yours a Happy Fourth of July!
But I don’t have to tell you that happiness and fireworks aren’t the only things in the air. This year, and particularly so it seems, deafening political rancor eclipses some of the merriment. General distrust and cynicism have only deepened the fault lines under our feet, as a looming Presidential election bombards us with constant reminders of our national divide. Sometimes, and it pains me to admit this, the affirmation of “one nation under God” seems more hopeful than descriptive.
Will we make it through this season of angst, and arrive safely at a place of renewed awareness that we are a people “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?”
When it comes to all things America, my hope today is to offer you a few reasons why – despite the political chaos and turmoil – you and I have much for which to be profoundly grateful to our God. We have much to celebrate this week, friends! Perhaps it is the thankfulness of her people, from her beautiful West Coast to her beautiful East Coast, which the Lord will use to move America forward for good in the world.
For 248 years, we in the Good Ol’ U.S.A. have experienced unparalleled prosperity in the form of blessings both material and spiritual. From the brave Pilgrims onward, what became known as the American Experiment – propelled by Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence – has been nothing less than a marvelous journey. Our self-governing republic has not survived without its weaknesses and foibles, mind you, but our history has been marvelous, nonetheless. Our nation has not only proclaimed and worked diligently to secure the “inalienable rights” of persons here within our shores, but we have championed the glorious cause of freedom around the world.
We have prospered from a healthy separation of powers built into the very fabric of our democratic government. This understanding of how society functions best flowed, I believe, from a Biblical understanding of the nature of humankind. Each one of us is inclined toward the sinful and selfish, and we need the reasonable restraints of a reasonable government – a government by which everyone in leadership is also accountable to “we the people.” Under a sovereign God, surely this sense of mutual respect is the aim of the Scriptures (Romans 13:1-7).
Thankfully, so far at least, our Constitution has held firm. Through many scary storms, and even a few direct assaults, it has stood the test of time. Some glaring injustices plagued the earliest chapters of our history, but it was the Constitution itself that paved the way for those wrongs to be radically remedied. It still does. Does our Constitution speak with the authority of the Bible? Absolutely not! But I can’t imagine such an amazing document as anything other than another extravagant blessing from the gracious hand of Almighty God.
And it gets even better than all of that. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We have exported the gospel far and wide. Throughout our history, God has raised up believers from American soil to take the good news of a risen and reigning Jesus “to the ends of the earth.” After all, freedom in Christ is the best and highest freedom! This widespread commitment to embody and share the mission and hope of Christ has made our nation a beacon of light in the most transcendent sense (Matthew 5:14-16; 28:18-20).
Finally, we must never forget that the United States of America was the first nation on Earth to enshrine within her founding principles this one breathtaking reality: Our fundamental liberties do not come from the government, but from God. These “self-evident” truths were, and continue to be, a global game changer. The Founding Fathers were imperfect, one and all, but these bedrock truths they got absolutely right. We owe them our respect. And I urge you to teach your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren the truth about America’s unique history and heritage. This year and every year, she is very much worth celebrating!
So we have much to celebrate. Don’t let the blessings get lost in the madness, and do your part to love your neighbor – even your political enemy – well. By faith, for those of us who are in Christ, “the night is far gone, and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:8-14). You and I are eternal citizens of a higher kingdom, where love and selfless sacrifice for others is patriotism at its best.
By God’s grace and for His glory, we will make it through the night.
Pastor Charles
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