From the Pastor’s Desk…
Faith Chat:
We are called to proclaim God’s grace by proclaiming the story of Jesus, to bring light, hope and healing to the world.
July 4 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from the tyranny of the British Empire. A day that has always harkened to the courage of people refusing to be subjugated or oppressed. It’s a day that celebrates the ideals and vision of humanity for “liberty and justice for all.” However, if you know even a sliver of US history, those ideals and vision have never been fully realized. In addition, we are witnessing a dramatic swell of Christian Nationalism, the idea that the US is a Christian nation and being Christian equates with being an American. Said more plainly, if you aren’t Christian, you aren’t truly an American. This is and has never been true, however. The US was founded as a country with freedom “from” religion. The government shall not and cannot impose any particular religious belief on the population. All are free to hold whatever beliefs are life-giving for themselves, so long as it doesn’t harmfully impact a fellow citizen. And yet, this key tenet from the Bill of Rights has been convoluted and perverted to suit the whims of the powerful.
Weighing these truths, how are we, as people of Jesus, to live out our faith and nationality in this tenuous moment?
As Lutherans, we can read Martin Luther’s thoughts on freedom in his treatise, Freedom of a Christian. We are free indeed, not to do whatever we wish, but to serve our neighbor in need and seek the welfare of the community. We are free to offer simple acts of living with integrity, ushering in God’s kingdom that declares the dignity, value and worth of the entirety of creation and creatures. As Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 25: 35-40: 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”
We honor freedom on July 4, yes for ourselves and our country. And God declares that we honor the freedom for the people in our land who are dispossessed, harassed, targeted and purposefully denied these freedoms and rights. The US has always been a refuge for people seeking a new life. And our ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament remind us that God affirms such a refuge and blesses it. “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 19: 33-34) A reminder that at some point, we were all strangers somewhere.
We live together in this time and place seeking to be good citizens and grounded in the promise that “our citizenship is in heaven,” (Phil. 3:20) for Jesus’ “kingdom does not belong to this world.” (John 18:36) The First Commandment declares that our allegiance is not primarily to a nation-state, a political leader, or party. It’s to God alone. God who formed us as God’s own and claims us wholly. All people, in every nation, who speak every tongue, are of every race, shape and size are claimed by God and receive the promise of God’s kingdom of true liberation, mercy, compassion and inclusion. Tyranny will never hold us or be the last word, God promises. We are free indeed. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
Pastor Brigette Weier
July 4 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from the tyranny of the British Empire. A day that has always harkened to the courage of people refusing to be subjugated or oppressed. It’s a day that celebrates the ideals and vision of humanity for “liberty and justice for all.” However, if you know even a sliver of US history, those ideals and vision have never been fully realized. In addition, we are witnessing a dramatic swell of Christian Nationalism, the idea that the US is a Christian nation and being Christian equates with being an American. Said more plainly, if you aren’t Christian, you aren’t truly an American. This is and has never been true, however. The US was founded as a country with freedom “from” religion. The government shall not and cannot impose any particular religious belief on the population. All are free to hold whatever beliefs are life-giving for themselves, so long as it doesn’t harmfully impact a fellow citizen. And yet, this key tenet from the Bill of Rights has been convoluted and perverted to suit the whims of the powerful.
Weighing these truths, how are we, as people of Jesus, to live out our faith and nationality in this tenuous moment?
As Lutherans, we can read Martin Luther’s thoughts on freedom in his treatise, Freedom of a Christian. We are free indeed, not to do whatever we wish, but to serve our neighbor in need and seek the welfare of the community. We are free to offer simple acts of living with integrity, ushering in God’s kingdom that declares the dignity, value and worth of the entirety of creation and creatures. As Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 25: 35-40: 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”
We honor freedom on July 4, yes for ourselves and our country. And God declares that we honor the freedom for the people in our land who are dispossessed, harassed, targeted and purposefully denied these freedoms and rights. The US has always been a refuge for people seeking a new life. And our ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament remind us that God affirms such a refuge and blesses it. “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 19: 33-34) A reminder that at some point, we were all strangers somewhere.
We live together in this time and place seeking to be good citizens and grounded in the promise that “our citizenship is in heaven,” (Phil. 3:20) for Jesus’ “kingdom does not belong to this world.” (John 18:36) The First Commandment declares that our allegiance is not primarily to a nation-state, a political leader, or party. It’s to God alone. God who formed us as God’s own and claims us wholly. All people, in every nation, who speak every tongue, are of every race, shape and size are claimed by God and receive the promise of God’s kingdom of true liberation, mercy, compassion and inclusion. Tyranny will never hold us or be the last word, God promises. We are free indeed. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
Pastor Brigette Weier
