Sunday, July 4
3 Reminders for Christian Worshipers on Independence Day
This year Independence Day in the U.S. falls on a Sunday. In many congregations there are certain expectations about how this national holiday will be acknowledged in corporate worship gatherings. For some, the root cause of these expectations is the confusion of Christian identity and national identity, and this is a problem in American churches that must addressed.
First, let me say, it is good to celebrate and commemorate national holidays. No one loves the taste of a grilled hot dog and the sound of fireworks on Independence Day more than I do. Certainly, the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in service to others ought to be commemorated on days such as Memorial Day. I’m not arguing for abstaining from national holidays and traditions. They have their place, and I regularly observe them and recognize their value.
The issue arises when symbols of national allegiance are integrated into Christian worship practices. The only appropriate end to Christian worship is the glorification of and the unification with God. Christian worship gatherings should proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, orient those gathered toward God, and send them outward in service to others. A Christian worship gathering is not the place to center national identity. When national identity becomes conflated with Christian identity and when patriotic love is mixed with allegiance to God, the worship offered is idolatrous and no longer “Christian.”
So as Christians prepare to worship God on Independence Day here are a few things I hope we remember:
1. Christian and American are not synonymous.
Christians must be able to distinguish between their responsibility as good citizens and their calling as followers of Christ. There are times when one’s national identity will conflict with one’s identity follower of Jesus. When American churches conflate “Christian” and “American,” believers will be unable to discern when and how these two identities diverge. Unable to distinguish between the two, believers will take the path of least resistance. This path sacrifices two essential callings of the Church: (1) its witness to the Good News of Jesus and (2) its prophetic voice to call out the ways earthly kingdoms and leaders miss the mark of God’s love and justice. Jesus-followers, we must not numb ourselves to the way these identities differ from each other and what that means for the ways we live out each of them.
2. Christianity is global.
The commission Jesus gives to His followers is to make disciples of all nations. Our call as Christians is global. Our family as Christians includes people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. When Christians emphasize national identity in corporate worship, we risk losing sight of our familial connection to those who claim Christ around the world and our responsibility to fulfill the global mission of Jesus.
3. Christians await the coming Kingdom of God.
Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon describe faithful Christians as “resident aliens.” Followers of Jesus as resident aliens live in the world but their allegiance is to a Kingdom that has not yet been fully realized. Jesus preached the coming of this Kingdom, and He called it Good News. He also taught His disciples to long for this Kingdom to be established here on earth.
In Jeremiah 29, God speaks through the prophet to the people in exile telling them to seek the good of the foreign country they find themselves because the country’s prosperity is tied to their own. This imperative is connected to a reminder that the promise of restoration is still yet to come.
This is the orientation Christians should adopt to their own countries. We can celebrate the good we find in our countries. We can work for their improvement and prosperity, and we must. The Christian imperative to love God and to love our neighbor does not permit us to withdraw from public life. We do not get to be ambivalent about what happens in our country and to our fellow citizens. But Christians must always seek the good of their country while cultivating a longing for the Kingdom of God. We must work for good here with an eye on the horizon looking out for what God is doing. Christian worship gatherings remind us that we are awaiting a heavenly city the beauty of which will far eclipse any good we may achieve in this life.
I am grateful to live in America. I recognize that it is not perfect and admit that it never will be, but I appreciate the ideal to which this country aims, though it often falls short. I am thankful to live where religious liberty and freedom of expression is valued. Christians should love their country, give thanks for it, and strive to be good citizens, but that love should never overtake our love for Christ, our dedication to His mission, and our longing for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
