In April, 1775, Samuel Johnson wrote, "Patriotism is the
last refuge of the scoundrel." Unfortunately, too often, too
true. More crimes against humanity have been committed in the
name of patriotism than almost anything else, with the possible
exception of religion. But on a weekend like this one, I think
even Dr. Johnson would agree that patriotism has its place.
There are times we need to recall our national heritage, to
remind us of our roots and to help us reaffirm our priorities.
And for the sake of our own national self-esteem, we need to feel
the sense of pride that only citizenship can bring...to share the
feeling of the poet when he wrote:
Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself has said,
This is my own, my native land.(1)
I love this country and I know you do too. And on this
weekend, if we never think of it on any other, our prayer is "God
bless America."
God HAS blessed America...especially as compared to other
civilizations this world has seen. Pericles built a civilization
on culture, and it failed. Caesar developed one based on power,
and it TOO failed. But those who founded our nation built on the
solid foundation of a trust in the abiding presence and power of
the Almighty.
Before the 41 men who survived the trip from England on the
Mayflower ever reached these shores, they affirmed their beliefs
in a Compact among themselves. When they landed at Plymouth,
their first act in this new land was to kneel in a prayer of
thanksgiving to the one who had protected them on their journey.
As time went on and the colonies grew, it became evident
that a nation was to evolve. A Continental Congress was called
to forge a Federal Republic out of thirteen unique sets of
interests. The debates were long and sometimes bitter, even to
the point where some would have been content to abandon the
dream. But others would not. Benjamin Franklin called on the
delegates to fall on their knees in prayer, and a new nation was
born...a nation that affirmed in our Declaration of Independence
"with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we
mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our
sacred honor."
The relationship between America and her Creator was made
plain for all to see from the beginning. The first coin minted
on these shores bore the likeness of Moses. Even today, our
money is still inscribed, "In God We Trust." In our pledge of
allegiance to the flag, we say, "One nation, under God." We
sing, "God bless America," and God has. God has indeed!
God has blessed us with abundant natural resources.
Practically every commodity that we desire and can make use of is
found in abundance. We have fertile lands for crops and
livestock. We have ample water. This nation has never known
famine. We go down under the earth into our mines and find every
mineral we could ever need. "America, America, God shed His
grace on thee."
God has made this a land of opportunity. Edison was a poor
boy, but all the world today uses the 1100 inventions that were
born in his mind. He became an inventor because he lived in a
land where even a poor boy could have a chance. Henry Ford was a
simple mechanic, but he became the world's greatest industrialist
because America gave him his chance. Abraham Lincoln - from log
cabin to studies by firelight to the highest office in the land.
Our history is full of Horatio Alger stories. The land of
opportunity. America, America.
But God gave us even more. Franklin Roosevelt, in his 1941
State of the Union address, enunciated what every American has a
right to expect. They were called the Four Freedoms: freedom of
speech, freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom of
worship. And if we are tempted to take them for granted, and not
to think of them as the magnificent gifts of a gracious God, all
we need do is count the other nations of this world that enjoy
the same things. Painfully few, painfully few.
Is it perfect? We know better. We look at those
magnificent natural resources with which God has blessed us and
see them despoiled and depleted and more in danger now because of
current policies than they have been in decades. Our good
government, this free democracy, is SO free that it can grind to
a halt in horribly mean-spirited partisan politics. This so-called "Land of Opportunity" offers more opportunity to some
folks than to others. I recall a conversation I had with a young
friend of mine one day just before July 4th a few years ago. He
had asked me what I was planning to preach on the Sunday just
before the holiday, and I told him that it would be something
apropos to the celebration. He responded by saying that he had
never thought of the Fourth in terms of much to celebrate. I did
not pursue the matter because I knew what he was saying. You
see, he is black...and this nation has never done for him what it
has done for me. He does not have nearly the reason to
celebrate. No, this nation is not perfect.
To be honest, we seem to be a nation right now in search of
its soul. We spend inordinate amounts of time and energy
following the trials and tribulations of Michael Jackson or the
Runaway Bride or wondering whether or not Tom Cruise has gone off
the deep end. Foolishness. Perhaps we are trying to take our
minds off the horrible situation in Iraq that Secretary Rumsfeld
last week said would probably tie us down for another twelve
years (Can you spell quagmire?); perhaps we are trying to forget
that American officials have recently asked with all seriousness
how much torture is OK for us to inflict on prisoners; perhaps we
are trying to forget that America's standing in the world has
fallen to its lowest ebb in generations; perhaps we are trying to
forget that, $200-billion of our children's money later, Osama
bin Ladin is still on the loose. The list of our national woes
could go on and on...but it does not have to. As we read the Old
Testament accounts of the history of Israel, we find that they
too were a people truly blessed. But they also strayed and they
paid the price. They suffered the ravages of conquering armies
and natural disasters. God gave them a way back: II Chronicles -
"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray,
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."(2)
America would do well to listen to that. The Psalmist says,
"Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord." We are a
pluralistic society with a variety of approaches to God, and
despite what we hear from some quarters, we are a better society
when that variety is constitutionally protected. But each of
those expressions have moral standards, and we will be a better
people when those shared standards are taken seriously.
In his 1961 Inaugural, President Kennedy challenged us to
"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for
your country." Perhaps the BEST thing we can do is make that
personal commitment to lives lives that are pleasing to our Lord,
then demonstrating that commitment in the unselfish management of
our resources, the prayerful support of our leaders (which will
sometimes mean challenging them when they lead us in wrong
directions), and a loving reaffirmation of the principles of
"liberty and justice for all."
Then with a full heart, we can truly pray:
God bless America, land that I love;
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans, white with foam,
God bless America, my home sweet home;
God bless America, my home sweet home.(3)
Amen!
1. Sir Walter Scott, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto VI, Stanza I
2. 7:14
3. Copyright 1938, 1939 by Irving Berlin renewed 1965, 1966. Copyright assigned to
Winthrop Rutherfurd, Jr., Anne Phipps Sidamon-Eristoff, and Theodore R. Jackson as Trustees
of the God Bless America Fund. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.
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