Independence
On this Fourth of July, I am mindful of our state as a nation. The past year since our last Independence Day celebration revealed that our "more perfect union" is fraying. We see a divide between our cities and our rural areas. We see a disconnect between those with college and post-collegiate degrees and those who went straight from grade school into work. Despite the fact that our nation really is a quilt of many nations, we push against our ethnic diversity, each group wanting its own recognition, place, and status--old or new--with no real thought of blending into a single people. We doubt our institutions. We are skeptical of a global community's potential to benefit all human beings. We no longer really know who we are. We find it hard to see any consensus on most any point.
Yet, even now, even as we are, there is still reason for hope.
We are still free.
We can assemble to make our voice heard. We can go to church, synagogue, temple, or mosque to worship. We can board an airplane and go most anywhere. We are free from war within our borders. If we are citizens, we can still do most anything we want. We can pick among many doctors even with insurance guidelines. We can still choose where we want to work. We can eat at home or at any restaurant in town. We can buy pink pajamas, if that is what we want. We can choose what we don't want to do, too. We can choose not to do any public service, if we want. We can choose not to go to church. We can choose not to speak to our neighbors. We can choose not to buy a fuel efficient car. As Americans, we still have an array of freedoms that make other nations wonder, envy, fear, and worry over us.
We can use our freedom to help one another.
No matter who resides in the halls of government in Washington, DC, or any of the 50 state capitols, we are still free to help one another. I saw an article reminding us that leftovers from our tables can feed someone hungry. Most of us have too many clothes and no one will stop us from sharing our extras with someone in need. Anyone can give a homeless person a bottle of water on a hot day. No one will stop you. You are free to intervene when someone acts hatefully toward another human being. You can still go to an airport lobby with a sign welcoming everyone who arrives from wherever they come. You are free to tell someone charged with keeping the rest of us safe, "Thank you," or even show your gratitude by buying them a coffee when you get your own. You are free to explore housing issues in your community and then work with others to make necessary changes. You are free to help a child in almost any way you can imagine. Again, as Americans, we have an array of freedoms that stand in stark contrast to much of the world.
Use them well.
It is this imaginative use of freedom that God seems to desire, as I read the Gospel. God wants every human being to thrive, to know the fullness of being in the image of God, and to discover the depth of communion. That is the depth and breadth of God's love for each of us and all of us.
What good is freedom if it is not the freedom to love one another into the kingdom?
Yet, even now, even as we are, there is still reason for hope.
We are still free.
We can assemble to make our voice heard. We can go to church, synagogue, temple, or mosque to worship. We can board an airplane and go most anywhere. We are free from war within our borders. If we are citizens, we can still do most anything we want. We can pick among many doctors even with insurance guidelines. We can still choose where we want to work. We can eat at home or at any restaurant in town. We can buy pink pajamas, if that is what we want. We can choose what we don't want to do, too. We can choose not to do any public service, if we want. We can choose not to go to church. We can choose not to speak to our neighbors. We can choose not to buy a fuel efficient car. As Americans, we still have an array of freedoms that make other nations wonder, envy, fear, and worry over us.
We can use our freedom to help one another.
No matter who resides in the halls of government in Washington, DC, or any of the 50 state capitols, we are still free to help one another. I saw an article reminding us that leftovers from our tables can feed someone hungry. Most of us have too many clothes and no one will stop us from sharing our extras with someone in need. Anyone can give a homeless person a bottle of water on a hot day. No one will stop you. You are free to intervene when someone acts hatefully toward another human being. You can still go to an airport lobby with a sign welcoming everyone who arrives from wherever they come. You are free to tell someone charged with keeping the rest of us safe, "Thank you," or even show your gratitude by buying them a coffee when you get your own. You are free to explore housing issues in your community and then work with others to make necessary changes. You are free to help a child in almost any way you can imagine. Again, as Americans, we have an array of freedoms that stand in stark contrast to much of the world.
Use them well.
It is this imaginative use of freedom that God seems to desire, as I read the Gospel. God wants every human being to thrive, to know the fullness of being in the image of God, and to discover the depth of communion. That is the depth and breadth of God's love for each of us and all of us.
What good is freedom if it is not the freedom to love one another into the kingdom?
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