“A Christian Nation” Galatians 3: 23-29 2021; SAPC, Denton, TX; Dr. Lisa Patterson and Dr. Richard B. Culp
Galatians 3: 23-29Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring,[k] heirs according to the promise.
Introduction: since today is the 4th of July, we are taking a break from our preaching series on Judges.
No, 4th of July is not a liturgical, high holy day, but it is a time when we celebrate our nation’s history, so we have a sermon reflecting on being a Christian and sharing our national heritage.
Not designed for fireworks between two pastors, or to set off fireworks in our congregation.
Just a few theological reflections on our nation’s birthday as we worship together as Christians.
Move 1: Fourth of July memories
Richard: Lisa, what special 4th of July memories do you have?
What do you think of when you think of the 4th of July?
When I think of July 4th,, I think of a day of celebration. The day is filled with fireworks, cookouts, parades, crowded interstates and airports filled with travelers, and speeches. If I don’t go to a fireworks show, the sounds of fireworks can usually be heard coming from distant parts of the city. Last night, some of my neighbors couldn’t wait, and I heard an early July 4th firecracker show in my neighborhood.
I remember the 4th spent with family in Mississippi and stories told around the dinner table. The stories had a common theme about how the seven siblings in my dad’s family had helped each other during the depression. My dad’s older brother bought him his high school graduation suit, my father who was a school administrator gave his younger sister her first job as a teacher. Stories that were ordinary, but expressed the belief that everyone’s success depended on each other.
The Rotary Club puts a flag in my yard every year. I am grateful to see it blowing in the breeze – a symbol of the complicated history of our nation. I can’t honestly say I have done much personally to protect the gifts that are a by-product of living in the United States and a part of our democratic government. I pay taxes, vote, and try and be a good citizen, but it doesn’t really seem like enough.
I have to hope that with the activities of the 4th and the memories generated come to the renewed sense of what it is we celebrate and to remember to give thanks through our actions for what we have inherited through the actions of those who have gone before us.
What about your 4th of July memories, Richard?
a. 10 years ago - part of my clergy renewal time when I visited different churches that had impacted my life of faith.
We worshipped at the Presbyterian church in Culpeper, VA, where I often had worshipped in the summers growing up.
On the way to Culpeper, we stopped in W VA for some white water rafting, which was awesome.
Had a great couple of days in Culpeper.
then, we arrived in Washington, DC for a few days, including the 4th of July fireworks at the Washington Monument, which was on my bucket list.
those couple of days are now legendary in my family’s telling of stories.
We stayed at a downtown hotel with a great location, great history, but was not quite as modernized as we might have liked. No wonder we could get a big room to accommodate all five of us.
It was hot. TX hot and the humidity off the Potomac River combined with the heat to make it feel oppressive. Given my kids' behavior, they felt really oppressed by the weather and their father who kept forcing them to walk from monument to museum and on to the next monument.
And then, of course, we had to arrive at the monument grounds several hours early, in the heat, to get a good seat.
Finally, darkness arrived and the fireworks show began. it was indeed impressive.
Then it was over, and we left, a mass of people moving off the mall. The crowds swept us up and moved us along, a bit scary, but there was also this sense of wonder, wonder at our connectedness to all these other people who had arrived for the same purpose and same celebration.
Strangers from all over the country. But connected by our shared heritage.
b. Our connectedness and shared history is also a compilation of different stories, sometimes very different stories.
1. My story, which includes growing up in Denton in a middle-class family is different from the story of someone growing up in the inner city of Detroit,
is different from someone who is a first-generation immigrant in Arizona
is different from someone whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower and grew up in an affluent neighborhood in the Northeast.
which is different than a Native American growing up on a reservation.
the hymns we sing today reflect some of the different stories we share - one with words from centennial celebrations of our nation and words from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution;
one which became popular in the World War I era;
one that comes out of the African-American experience in America and is considered a national;
one written for a 4th of July celebration, taking a German song and giving it words from the American experience.
Different stories which become part of an overarching story of the United States.
As Americans, we are connected by the place we live and the ongoing, shared story of our nation, although our individual stores are unique.
As Christians, we are connected by our faith in Jesus Christ, no longer Jews or Greeks, or any other label of separation, but one is Christ.
Sing:
O beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
and crown thy good with *brotherhood
from sea to shining sea!
move 2: Blessing
Richard: We often think of Blessing.
a. As Christians, we often view ourselves as the new Israel.
1. A special group called by God.
2. Called for a special purpose.
b. As Christians in the United States, we sometimes narrow that focus so we view the United States as a corollary to the Israel of old.
1. when we read about God blessing Israel, we see connections because we are very blessed as a nation.
2. the description of the Promised Land as a land of milk and honey resonates with us as we look at our nation and see a long history of vast resources and a history of remarkable, heroic people.
c. The challenge becomes how we respond to seeing our many blessings.
1. if Israel is our example, then we might also note that Israel struggled to live into its role as a special nation, as an example of the world.
2. Too often, Israel forgot about its reliance on God; too often, Israel thought it had done and could do it all on its own; too often, Israel was in need of repentance.
3. wE are indeed blessed, and with that blessing comes the calling to live our lives as a response to God’s blessings.
d. We are continually being called to return to God and to be shaped by God.
1. Again, notice the themes of the patriotic hymns we sing today.
3. The Battle Hymn of the Republic is considered a hymn of judgment, as it calls for us to recognize that when Christ comes again, Christ returns expecting us to have acted as his followers.
Or, we hear sung the words, “God mend our flaws.”
4. God has blessed us. how do we respond?
Lisa: During my tenure on staff at St. Andrew, I have had the privilege of celebrating with some of you going through the process to become U.S. citizens. Almost 20 years ago, one of our families was celebrated in Sunday school with a red, white, and blue cake when the father became a US citizen, Vera and Evans Odei shared during a Moment for Mission about their journey to citizenship, and we supported a PhD student who was in the process of getting his green card and could not go home for his mother’s funeral because he feared he would not be able to return to complete his degree. He received his green card the day before being awarded his doctoral degree and just in time to start the job that had been offered.
On one occasion, I had the privilege of attending a Naturalization Ceremony for one of our families here at St. Andrew. I sat in that large room with other family and friends waiting for the ceremony. We all cheered at times and became tearful at other moments. When we sang our familiar, national music, I was both humbled and thankful. Humbled to have received such a blessing in my life. Thankful that the blessing continues for others.
I am reminded that we have the gift and responsibility to recognize God’s blessing given to us. We also have a sense of purpose and vocation to listen for God’s call to us to be the blessing - even in the midst of famine or pandemic, just like our ancestors did so many years ago.
Sings: O beautiful for heroes proved
in liberating strife,
who more than self their country loved,
and mercy more than life!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw;
confirm thy soul in self-control,
thy liberty in law!
Move 3: We also use the term a Christian nation?
Richard: What do we mean by that term?
a. Christian nation from a historical and statistical perspective.
1. Many of the systems we have in the United States and the customs and practices we share grow out of a Judeo-Christian background (in fact, the representative democracy we have is straight out of the Presbyterian style of leadership).
2.Statistically, we are a Christian nation given a little over 60% of the population identify as Christians (although under 50% actually attend church on a regular basis, which might suggest it is easier to be a Christian in theory than in practice,
Lisa, what do you think of when you hear the term Christian nation?
Richard: Lisa, what do you think when you hear the term Christian nation?
Lisa:
On a recent radio program exploring the resiliency of the people of this nation on Humankind, author Stephen Flynn was a guest. In his book, “The Edge of Disaster”, he wrote that the American people’s greatest strength is truly “We, the people.” He wasn’t sentimental about what the country has been through in the past decades – 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008, and now pandemic. In his book, he was reflecting upon how close we have come to disaster as a people so many times in the past - at Plymouth Rock, Valley Forge, and settlers crossing the nation to make a new life. He believes that “We, the people of the United States” possess a sense of can-do spirit that confronts crisis, shaping us as resilient people in the process, and this is our greatest strength.
As the child of a WWII vet and depression-era parents, I grew up on this notion, so it rings true for me. We the people united for a common purpose required by circumstances to confront a crisis but knowing that it won’t be easy. There is a gritty nostalgia about the era my parents came through that is hard to duplicate today but the sense of resiliency and acting as “we the people” are important to think about today.
During the pandemic, our social service agencies were faced with a 100% or more increase in requests for aid. The Denton Community Food Center experienced more than a 100% increase in requests for food, and they were able to keep up with the constant demand of people in their cars circling the building waiting in line for food. They were not only able to keep up with it but they became a hub for food distribution to the small food pantries in the County that didn’t possess their resources. THE DCFC received federal grants, but it also received an outpouring of contributions from individuals, faith-based communities, and other caring community partners.
Our Daily Bread along with the City of Denton set up a transitional housing system that housed homeless people during the pandemic. They helped moved chronically homeless guests into sustainable living through the invaluable services provided by caring caseworkers. ODB received federal grants and a great increase in contributions from faith-based supporters and individuals.
These are small, discrete examples, but for me, it is a representation of what we, the people of a Christian nation should be focused on during a pandemic and at all times– helping our neighbor through our actions and our resources to have what we have. Being a Christian nation is not something we take for granted but it is something that we enact for all the world to see. It requires each one of us – just like God’s people were called to be blessed in a famine-plagued land and to be a blessing, the same is true for God’s people today.
Richard, what do you think it means to be a Christian nation?
Richard: A Christian nation is not just a description of who we are historically and statistically, but it lays out the goal and a challenge for how we live with each other and are at work in the world.
We are a Christian nation not because the majority of our people are Christian, or because that is our heritage, or because we say we are a Christian nation.
We are a Christian nation when those living in our midst and those other nations and people of the world with whom we interact discover through us the justice, mercy, and love that we have discovered in Jesus Christ.
Sings: O beautiful for patriot dream
that sees beyond the years
thine alabaster cities gleam,
undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
till all success be nobleness
and every gain divine!
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