None of the readings in my devotional cupboard referenced today’s annual celebration of the nation’s independence. I had expected that they would. Instead one reflected upon the words of the apostle John: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. ” (John 4: 23-24) Another chose John’s words written in Revelation 21:1-5 with emphasis upon verse 5: “He who was seated upon the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!‘” And the third drew upon the familiar passage recorded by Paul in 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8 – “…Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously,… for God loves a cheerful giver.” – to make the point that we are called to a spirit of generosity in God’s name in our relationships with one another.
My sense this morning is that any significance of this holiday pales when juxtaposed with the realities of the country today. I won’t take the space to remunerate them as I think you’d have to be essentially deaf, dumb and blind not to know the truth of this moment in the nation. And because we stand at this moment, John’s words resonate all the more. The time is upon us as believers to worship God in spirit and truth. To live with others in ways that show Christian generosity. To work together toward new relationships that reveal His spirit and His truth as expressed in the life of Jesus, the Christ. To give validity to the celebration of a nation’s independence allowed by the God who birthed it. Perhaps until we can do these things, we ought to tone it down when this 4th day of the 7th month rolls around. Think about it.
Love. Peace. Joy.