Rev. Dr. Devin Strong
Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church
I think that it is fair to say that EVERYONE in the United States is stressed about the state of our politics right now. For starters, presidential campaigns are way too long in this country, if they ever end at all. Beyond that, we are looking at a race between two historically unlikeable candidates. Few of us seem to love either candidate, but there is a lot of hate for the other candidate, on both sides.
The polls I read suggest that we are passionately, evenly divided and that our next president will be chosen by a few thousand people in each of a handful of swing states.
With all this tension as a backdrop, how do we properly celebrate July 4th as our national holiday?
It may be helpful to take our take our eyes off the pundits and the polls and shift our focus. We are indeed free—free to learn, free to laugh, and free to disagree. We can give thanks for the people who protect our lives and our independence, including military folks, law enforcement, and first responders. We can remember all the people who make our lives so much richer and easier, including teachers, nurses, salesclerks, restaurant workers, and sanitation workers.
We can notice the green grass, warm sunshine, and the friends gathered around our grill, and finally, we can praise God that even though groceries and gas, cars and housing are too expensive, 72% of us (according to an annual federal survey) say that we are doing financially “okay.”
The problems that we are facing in this country and the world are real, so are the stakes in the upcoming elections, but no matter who wins in November, my baptismal calling is the same. I am going to love everyone that I can in concrete ways.
I am going to heal in every way that I can. I am going to speak up for justice in my little part of the world. I am going to strive to be generous, and I am going to do my best to live forgiveness and peace.
Perhaps you have heard a Christian say, “I do not follow the donkey or the elephant. I follow the lamb.” That may be oversimplifying things a bit, but the phrase makes the point that politics plays an outsized roll in our lives. It may be that for a disciple of Jesus, politics of any stripe is too small. You and I have too much to do and too many people to help to get caught up in partisanship!
If you think that deep, angry political divides are new, think again! In Jesus’ day, there was a group of believers called the Essenes who hated the ways of the world so much that they retreated to the caves to live a monastic existence while the Zealots practiced armed rebellion against the Romans.
The Sadducees were believers, too, but they collaborated with the Romans completely while the Pharisees tried to walk the line between God and government and ended up serving themselves, mostly. As for Jesus, nowhere in the Gospels does he wear a pro-Roman or anti-Roman t-shirt. He focuses on bigger things, sometimes to the dismay of those around him!
Happy Fourth of July! Your life and your country are bigger than politics. You are a Child of God!