Independence Day

As you may know there were no fireworks displays in Gettysburg this year.  There were no fireworks displays in several other towns in the area, too.  The reason, of course, is the drought.  Things are very dry, and there is too much risk of fire if the traditional fireworks displays go forward.

That’s too bad.  I understand why it was necessary.  I’m not disagreeing with the decision.  But still, it’s too bad.  I think fireworks are beautiful.  It’s really nice to see them.  So even though not having the displays this year is the right thing to do, I still missed seeing them.

But you know, there are a lot of ways to show our love for our country other than shooting off fireworks.  Some of them are even better ways.

One of the things we can do is simply to remember the sacrifices people have made to allow us to have the independence and freedom that we have.  There are a lot of people who gave their lives for this country.  I’m sure many of you have one or more of those people in your family.  There are others who are risking their lives now for this country.  I’m sure many of you have one or more of those people in your family, too.  We should never take that for granted.  We should be grateful every day that there are people who are willing to risk their lives in that way.  Jesus said that there is no greater love than to be willing to lay down your life for your friends.  These are people who are not just willing to lay down their lives for their friends, they’re also willing to lay down their lives for people they don’t know and never will know.  That’s a pretty awesome thing.  It should never be taken for granted.

Another thing we can do is respect the freedom of others.  As I’m sure you know, this is a pretty contentious time in our country.  No matter what the issue is, there are a lot of differing opinions about it.  That’s okay.  But we need to continue to respect people, even when we disagree with them.  The fact that I disagree with you doesn’t make you a bad person.  The fact that you disagree with me doesn’t make me a bad person, either.  We can both want what’s best for people, and what’s best for the country as a whole, and still disagree about what actually would be best.  The fact that we disagree does not make either of us stupid or hateful or evil.  It just means we have a different way of looking at things.  We need to respect that.

Another thing we can do is be grateful to God for allowing us to live in this wonderful country.  Yes, our country has flaws, but it’s still a wonderful country.  There’s a reason people from all over the world want to come here.  We should thank God every day that we are allowed to live in this country.

As Christians, of course, our first allegiance is not to the United States.  Our first allegiance is to God.  If we feel the two are in conflict, we need to follow God, not the United States.  But there are many times where they are not in conflict, because this is a wonderful country.  One of the things that makes it wonderful is that we’re allowed to follow God instead of the government.  May that always be the case, and may that freedom spread to other countries.

“God Bless America” is not an arrogant statement.  It is a humble request.  God has blessed America in many ways.  May God continue to do so.  And may we, as both Christians and Americans, always be grateful for the blessings God has given us.