Well I'm new at this but what I hear from some folks at church, there is a blog clog when you try to use the "comment" part of all this. I've asked Rosemary to check this out cause while I know how to unclog the sink I do not know how to unclog a blog. In the meantime if you want to respond to me or contact me use the e mail link over on the side of this page.
So much for lackluster blog humor. This weekend is the time when we remember our nation's birth and hopefully say thank you for the freedoms we possess.
July 4th weekend is not a religious observance but you would not have known that if you had been present at a church I attended a few years ago while away on July 4th weekend. There were big screens and images of fighter jets flying over while American flags waved in the background. The preacher of the day emphasized that this was not about America it was about God. You could have fooled me.
There is a thin line between being thankful for God's blessings in our wonderful country and getting caught in the web of a kind of nationalistic adoption of God that wraps the God of all the nations in our particular flag. Our scriptures tell of a God who will not have that. God judges between the nations. Those nations that claim God as their own must acknowledge that while they might ask for God to bless their country and their cause they must also be open to God's expectations and judgment.
This Sunday in worship I'll try to "walk that line" between a nationalistic patriotism that can veer into idolatry and a prophetic patriotism that remembers that God is the God of the nations and that with God's blessing comes the expectation that we are to bless others. Happy 4th to you.
jody jseymour@davidsonumc.org
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I agree that we call upon God in America but is that not better than failing to call upon him at all? My theory is that if we in America are so far from God's path, the government is the last option to straighten us out. I am carefull to keep the church's responsibilities separate from that of the government because one day I fear Americans might look to the government first, then their church/faith for solutions to their problems. Maybe that day has come to some. Independence Day should be about thanking God for all the blessing in life and especially being born to a nation that allows its citizens to choose a religion openly and develop faith. That's why when I see the fighter jets, I give thanks for the protection of my family and faith.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say here. I was telling my daughter the thing that is so special about 4th of July is that we celebrate America as a country and we can be proud of our country for a million reasons. However, one of the main reasons is that America is a country that has always enouraged and accepted tolerance of others, the reason the Europeans came here was for religious freedom, to worship how they wanted to. This is a gift and a great reason to celebrate this AMAZING country. Happy 4th of July!
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