Independence Day Propers
St. Stephen’s, Orinda
Great things, Thou hast done, O Lord, my God. I would name them and proclaim them, but they are more than I can tell. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I like to joke that my love of county was beat into me—not by violence, but rather from Max Wienburg’s snare drum in Bruce Springsteen’s iconic Born in the USA. I think my father saw me rewind and listen to that song so many times, that the time must be right to both broaden my musical education and deepen my patriotism, and so my childhood was filled with the great American songwriters: Woody Guthrie (and not just the safe for school lyrics, mind you, but the revolutionary verses of This Land is My Land), Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, The Kingston Trio, and the Limelighters.
Now, at age 5, I didn’t, I couldn’t recognize what the lyrics meant, but there was something I did know—Immediately, and at the very core of my being—it is that songs about America are songs of yearning. I wouldn’t formally recognize it until my teens, but there are two Americas: there is America as she is, and there is America as she could be. That dream, that yearning restlessness to inch closer to that vision of what our country could be—that’s how I learned to be a patriot. Not loving the country as it is, but loving what it could be.
Now, what does my listening to Born in the USA over and over again have to our readings appointed for Independence Day?
Listen again to our reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”
Living in the early 300’s, St. Augustine, one the the most influential Christian thinkers ever—read these same lines of scripture and developed his idea of The Two Cities. You see, the world’s most powerful empire was faltering. Rome, the global capital of the Western World, was sinking beneath its own weight. When the Visogoths successfully attacked Rome, it was a shock not just to the denizens of those seven hills, but to all in the Mediterranean world. Augustine wanted to comfort Christians, and so reassured the faithful that our hope should not be reliant on any earthly city, rather, we should press forward to try and attain a more heavenly one.
These two cities, as intermingled as they might appear in our daily life, are driven by two very distinct loves. Augustine writes, “These are the two loves: the first is holy, the second foul; the first is social, the second selfish…Although they are now, during the course of time, intermingled, they shall be divided at the last judgment; the first, being joined by the good angels under its King, shall attain eternal life.”
How does the author of Hebrews summarize the experience of Abraham? It was living by faith. Living with an eye towards a future city, permeant, whose foundation is sure, whose architect and builder is God. That same impatience which drove me to listen to Born in the USA over and over is both the same dissatisfaction with the present world and the same faith with leads us towards a brighter future. We desire a better country, a heavenly one. A city built on the holy love of God and our neighbor.
Abraham’s faith, his vision for a better country is perfectly analogous to our civic faith as Americans. "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” As Christians, we must admit that God goes not limit grace to our country, alone. Yet as citizens of both cities, as residents of both the Heavenly and Earthly cities, we recognize that same tension. That same dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and the same impatience to realize the promise of that future country…that is what is worth celebrating as both a civic and religious holiday. Independence day is not a celebration of our nation as it is, but rather a reminder of the ideals to which we must still strive towards.
“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…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
We are in the midst of a period of unprecedented turmoil and self-reflection in our nation’s history. We are opening our ears, our hearts, and our minds to listen to the stories of those whose experience of this country is far different from our own. We can all see that the founding documents of our nation failed to secure, let alone even recognize the ideals of equality with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to every inhabitant of our country.
And in that reflection—in that recognition that our national charter remains unfulfilled…there is our work as Christians. As a citizen of the earthly city, it is our responsibility as Christians to serve as the conscious of our society—to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. To remain, as Abraham was, unsatisfied with the present and hopeful for the promise of that heavenly country.
I was thinking about Abraham’s journey towards the promised land. How he never actually arrived—neither did his sons. As heirs of Abraham’s promise some three thousand years later, we ought to remember that we still haven’t arrived, either.
Thinking about Abraham’s vision of the promise land, I was reminded of the last speech that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King ever gave. His last public remarks ended with these words:
“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
And there is the Good news this morning. We are nearly there. I know it doesn’t feel like it. I know that for many of us, the image of a city on a hill has been shrouded in the fog of confusion and divisiveness. But in faith, we can still recognize its shape. If we can struggle to do God’s will, if we can as the gospel today commands us “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” If we can emulate the God “the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
If we can hold fast to that vision, then we will surely find that our rest in a home of “a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Dr. King went to the mountaintop and was comforted by what the promised land held in store for our nation. He was encouraged by a faith which promised that the realities of today are not the hallmarks of tomorrow. That through compassion and cooperation, through love of country and love of neighbor, we will get to the promised land.
If we can remember that this weekend is not so much a honoring of our past but a celebration of our future, then the promised land is coming. If we can remember that the promise of this nation which has lit the world for nearly two hundred and fifty years is, for many, a promise unmet. If we can journey towards that country, if we can take our share in helping to build that city…then we can stand up and sing about the land of the free.
God has prepared a city for us. Let’s get to work finishing it.
Amen.
