It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. – Galatians 5:1

Growing up back in the 1960’s, I enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the English coastal town of Folkestone. My playground stretched from the green hills of the North Downs behind us to the Straights of Dover just a short bike-ride through parks, avenues then the steep escarpment to the beach beyond.

In school, Mr. Westfield taught “The American Revolution” in history class. And I learned about contemporary American culture by watching television shows such as Bewitched, The Virginian, The Andy Griffith Show, Ironside and Kojak! I also listened to journalist Alistair Cook’s weekly radio broadcast, Letter from America.

When I was 19 I finally had the opportunity to see the USA for myself. The first morning at breakfast we heard loud sirens and saw police cruisers approaching at high speed from opposite directions. The suspect turned abruptly in front of our restaurant and the cops followed in tightly choreographed pursuit, sideswiping each other in dramatic fashion then spinning out in unison – while the suspect smashed into a light pole before escaping on foot.

“Wow,” I remember saying to my parents, “America is exactly like TV!”

America had me at “hello”

Instead of returning to England with my folks, I rode the Greyhound from Sea to Shining Sea, wintered in Montana, hiked the Appalachian Trail through four states, then got recruited to play soccer at Stetson University. I enrolled as a freshman in August of 1976.

I fell in love with this country almost immediately, fell in love with Rebekah in 1977 and became a citizen in 1985.

All this time I have never stopped learning to understand the depth and the reach of the providential words penned by Thomas Jefferson – words that challenge those of us blessed to be Americans, words that offer inspiration to the rest of the world, words that promise both encouragement and hope.

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.

Declaration of Independence, 1776

“ALL” are created equal. It was a revolutionary ideal then and it remains revolutionary – and aspirational – today. I do not think it is possible to live in these United States and not be touched in our deepest places by the power of this groundbreaking truth.

At the same time I am dumbfounded at the extent so many people – people blessed by two hundred and fifty years of liberty and freedom – misread or just plain miss the implications of the Founders’ commitment to equality, Jefferson’s amazing prose, the consequent U.S. Constitution (drafted in 1787) and the selfless sacrifices offered by so many to guard this unprecedented gift.

• People who believe freedom is about self rather than service.
• People who mistake freedom for license and have no interest in the attendant responsibilities.
• People who trade away their precious freedom for money, for alcohol, for crippling debt, for drugs, for personal power, for ideologies that control them – and so much more.
• People trapped in the suffocating bondage of ignorance.
• People who believe their freedom grows to the extent they take away the freedoms of others.
• People who fail to understand the freeing powers of generosity and try to hoard America’s blessings for themselves.

Paul said it perfectly in Galatians 5. “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us FREE!”

God’s initiatives invite our participation:

Jefferson’s words simply reaffirmed the truth that Jesus lived, loved and died to demonstrate. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God’s initiatives. The “Invitation Home” Jesus came (and still comes) to deliver effectively guarantees our freedom from anything that would enslave us.

America is still a beautiful context in which to enjoy and respond positively to The Jesus Initiative. Those who seek to advance their own power, control and personal wealth are missing the point so monumentally it is astounding.

But then I guess Thomas Jefferson’s words fall on the same deaf ears that Christ’s words have for two millennia: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Happy Birthday, America! May the experiment continue in grace and in joy.

– DEREK