Dependent Independence

One of the great hallmarks of United Methodist outlook on life is our emphasis on what's known as free will - that is, the concept that while it is God's will that we commit ourselves to doing nothing more and nothing less than God's will in each and every second of life, we worship a God who will not coerce us into loving God, will not dictate our every whim, and realizes that if we are to love God completely and fully, that love must come out of our desire to be in love, not because God makes us.  Each and every human being is born with this free will, and must choose for themselves whether or not to love God.

What does this have to do with the U.S.A. celebration of Independence Day?

No one loves their political freedom more than me.  I am proud to be a citizen of this great country, and am grateful for all the privileges that we have here.  However, being a citizen of this country is not what makes me free.  If our society were to fall tomorrow, it would not change the fact that I have freedom.

That's because true freedom comes from the grace of God.  The grace of God that knew us before we were formed in the womb.  The grace of God that was incarnate in the life of Christ.  The grace of God that proved that death has no victory, death has no sting, because on the third day he rose.  The grace of God that is with us now and always through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The grace of God frees us from the bonds of this world, the bonds of sin and death, the sins of greed and arrogance, the sins of pride and self-centeredness - and allows us to live knowing that the highest of highs and the lowest of lows that we encounter in this life pale in comparison to the joy that will come when Christ comes again in glory and all of creation is restored to full communion with it's Creator.

So, let me show you this earthly symbol of freedom...

and ask yourself, "What am I doing with the political freedom this represents?

"For the Christian who happens to be a citizen of the U.S.A., to use our political freedom to do anything other than live out the true freedom found in the cross of Christ is to miss the whole point of freedom.

No less an expert on Independence Day than John Adams is quoted as saying:

"It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." 

Notice that all the various celebrations of the day, in Adams' view, are rooted first in commemorating the day by solemn acts of devotion to God almighty.  Let us truly celebrate independence by committing to being totally dependent on the grace of God. 

See You Sunday!

Lamar