This week we will celebrate 249 years as a nation. That seems like a long time, and yet against other nations and empires, its a relatively short amount of time. We have weathered a lot of storms in those 249 years. We have fought many battles and wars, including one that threatened to tear us apart. We have had economic cycles that brought us to the brink of disaster. We have endured pandemics which have toppled other societies. We have even seen some weather and environmental events which were significantly debilitating. Through it all, we have survived.
There is a certain pride and recognition of the enormous strength of our nation to pull together when the chips are down. We are people who are bound together by a spirit of unity that lies not in our common racial definition, but in our common desire to live up to our ideals.
On a day like July 4th, we see a lot of flag waving, and hear a lot of talk of patriotism. This is understandable as we celebrate our national birthday. Here’s the rub for me, how we define patriotism.
Some would tell us patriotism is about going along with what elected officials may tell us. Not talking against the direction the country may be swinging toward. Patriotism could be defined as being in lock step with every move made by our government, and everything that is stamped with the flag.
This is where I take exception. I believe patriotism should burn hot in each of us as we try to live up to the words we find in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all [men] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Patriotism is not following our political parties blindly, endorsing and agreeing to whatever we are told. Each of us should weigh what we see, hear, read and experience against the words that say all are created equal, all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When what is being passed in congress, what is being enacted, what is being made policy doesn’t affirm those ideals, our patriotism should cause us to seek redress.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans and to Titus, he talks of good followers of Jesus submitting to governing authorities and fulfilling their civic responsibilities. We are to do those things because it helps us to serve one another. Our patriotism should lead us to be fully engaged in what the government is doing, because the government is acting on our behalf. The government is a reflection of us. Who we are, what we believe, what morals we possess, all of that is reflected in the actions of our government. So to be patriotic, we should be fully engaged in challenging our government and its officials to represent us rightly in all its activities. When the government sides with the powerful against the powerless, its saying something about us. When the government passes legislation which takes from those who have the least, to give to those who have the most, that action says something about us.
As a patriotic citizen of the United States of America, I want my government to stand for the defenseless. I want my government to share its abundance with those who are starving and dying. I want my government to exercise compassion and grace in all its dealings here and abroad. I want my government to foster healthy debate about when, where and how we utilize the resources God has so abundantly given us.
Patriotism is about more than waving a flag, or singing a song, or wearing the red, white and blue. Patriotism should be the way we engage in our civic duty to hold each other accountable for what we say and do.
I hope and pray each of you has a very blessed Independence Day. I pray your celebration with family and friends is heartwarming. I pray for all of us that our patriotism will move us as a people to be who we say we are, and to reflect that each and every day.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom