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Dear Friends,
As the 4th of July is almost here, I wanted to reflect together on its meaning. There is history connected to the celebration, pride in our nation, and opportunity for thoughtfulness on what it means to be American.
Historically, July 4th is the day the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. This, as we know, was the document formally announcing the separation of the 13 colonies from Great Britain. The Founding Fathers play significant roles in this time. These include John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. These leaders in their time were resilient as they spearheaded the American Revolution and crafted founding documents for our nation. As we consider the beginnings of our nation, there is great pride in the bravery, risk, courage, and great intellect needed to establish and declare values, rights, structures for government and more.
It is worth reflecting on what it means to be American. We may think of the well-known phrase from the Declaration of Independence, to be American is to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The full sentence is: “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.”
We may think about what it means to be American concurrently with thinking about what it means to be Christian. The concepts listed in the Declaration of Independence hold values of the Christian faith. They imply welcoming, valuing diversity in all – we are equal with the unalienable rights. Unalienable is a funny word meaning something that cannot be taken away or denied (Oxford Dictionary). They are inherent, absolute, inviolable – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is saying a lot.
We uphold these in the faith and as Americans. We discover how to express them faithfully. We journey, as our Founding Fathers did. And we must take heed. We remember the humanity of these Founding Fathers: they all did not get along, they slandered each other publicly, spread rumors in print, connived to ‘beat’ each other out in leadership and more. But they also held all their problems while working together in a way that is hard to imagine. They spoke, listened, agreed, disagreed, and settled things. They fought in war, articulated independence, agreed on structures and functions of government. What examples. They stayed as they shared values and moved forward through great adversity.
As we approach this July 4th, let us celebrate, respect all it takes to be American, be humble enough to hold disagreement for the sake of growth and change, and be willing to risk for the unalienable rights, or in the words of our baptismal covenant – the dignity of all persons – of everyone.
May we seek and find God’s blessing this, Independence Day.
Lisa+
Collect for Independence Day
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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