You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ² Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth… ¹⁰ but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism. – Romans 2:1-2, 10-11

I am thankful that, this year, Independence Day fell on a Saturday. Not on Sunday, not in the middle of the week, but July 4 one day then church the next. Celebrate the unique blessings of being the U.S.A., picnic all day then set off fireworks, and then wake up Sunday morning with a grateful heart to take to worship.

Two days, two seperate events.

Of course I am thankful every day for the gift of this life, not just when I attend church on Sunday, and worship is folded into every aspect of living, from saying the blessing before each meal to simply opening my eyes to acknowledge the wonder of just about every moment. And I also understand what a deep privilege it is to live in a nation that is celebrating two and a half centuries of unprecedented freedom – I feel it every day of the week.

But let’s keep some space between them!

Christianity can happily flourish in many forms of government and political ideologies, and people of every faith (or no faith at all) have, are and will embrace the beautiful many-faceted journey that is the ongoing American experiment.

Democrats are no more – or less – American than Republicans or Independents or Libertarians. Baptists are no more Christian than Presbyterians, Catholics or Episcopalians. Christians are no more patriotic than Jews or atheists or Muslims or agnostics or Buddhists.

My decision to worship my God on a Sunday morning has both nothing to do with my pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (and to the republic for which it stands) but then everything to do with how I live as a freedom-loving American every day.

Anyone who wraps their religion in the American flag is missing the essential point of America and insulting God. Jesus is not in the business of nation-building but kingdom-building and the only symbol the Lord wants us to wrap our faith in is love.

We have so many blessings and so much to be thankful for. I absolutely will thank the Lord for America in church this morning, but I understand that while we belong to God, God does not belong to us.

– DEREK