Many churches traditionally convert the Lord's Day closest to the 4th of July into a Patriotic Sunday. At Morning Star Baptist Church we will do little more than thank our gracious Heavenly Father for our country. Simply put, we will not have a "Patriotic Sunday."
Let me briefly explain.
First of all, let it be known that I am deeply grateful to be an American. I consider it a blessing to have been born in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in the USA. Many blessings, spiritual and material, have been heaped upon this undeserving person merely because of where Wise Providence placed me.
But the Church of Jesus Christ is not American. The Church of Jesus Christ is the blood bought people from every tribe and every nation and the local church is a local picture of that spectacular reality! Even as small as we are, Morning Star Baptist Church includes in its family people from Germany, Mexico, Canada, France (Okay, so Anouk represents both places!), and Ireland! These individuals are co-inheritors of ours of the Heavenly City!
I concur with Dr. Kevin Bauder from Central Seminary who said:
The church in this world is an outpost or colony. It exists among worldly governments, but it has no part with them. When we enter the church (i.e., when we assemble with a true congregation of Christ), we no longer occupy the ground of any worldly nation. We now inhabit a small, anticipatory outpost of the New Jerusalem. (You may want to read both of these excellent articles which speak well to my own thoughts on the subject: Part One and Part Two.
The above quote is from Part Two.
It is possible (and right) to thank God for our country (no matter what country we are from). It is, in my judgment, a bit of a stretch to take the LORD's Day and HIS church and tranform it into an exclusive national celebration wherein we sing songs TO our country, pledge solemn vows TO our country, and thereby not only exclude our beloved brothers and sisters from other countries, but cloud our faith-anticipation for the Heavenly Country.
I will watch the fireworks. I will cheer for the USA Soccer team. I will be grateful to have a blue passport. I will be delighted to see the merciful hand of God on this country. But on the Lord's Day with His Church, I will delight most in the common bond I have with Argentines, Africans, Russians, Chinese, and anybody from any nation who is part of the blood-bought Assembly.
4 comments:
Amen!
Matt,
Ever since you left Spain and came to our neighborhood I haven't seen hide nor tail of you. I'd love to get together with you.
Just bought some of your books.
BTW, France beat Spain today!
Thank you for standing for that which is eternal over those things which are easy and appealing. We are indeed a body for all peoples!
Somehow the church has bought the notion that God's blessings on the United States of America are some sort of quid pro quo for the nation's devotion to God. How foolish. If God were to deal with us quid pro quo in accordance with our "national" devotion to Him we would be consumed. The freedoms and blessings that we enjoy are all a matter of God's providence and grace, and we should be thankful for them. However, my citizenship here is temporary. I'm looking forward to a Sunday where we give our attention and allegiance to the One who resides in our true homeland.
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