The Fourth

Hello, y'all from the country known as "America". There is so much history in this country, and so many of the people who live here are proud of how we came to be. Americans love to shoot off fireworks at night (apparently two weeks in advance and about a week after the fourth as well, this year). We typically have a cookout of some kind, dress up in red, white, and blue (the colors of the American flag), and blast the many songs that mention America and how cool of a place it is. But, is this holiday all that it is cracked up to be? 

Don't get me wrong- I love being able to live in America. I am thankful and grateful for the rights I have to worship God (among many others) here. But, many things are not amazing for America, and other things are not unique to America. 

I think that my perspective as a Missionary Kid (MK) really brings this to light in a new way. I'm sure I went to Fourth of July (Independence Day) celebrations up until I was five years old, but I don't remember them. Then, for the next Fourth of July, I was in a third-world country MILES away from America. I was surrounded by people from even more different countries, including many in Europe. And I was not even living in the country that fought for their freedom. From what I remember, we would still have cookouts as a family, and possibly do some sort of mini celebration. But, we never did fireworks, and I don't think we really celebrated with anyone more than our immediate family. And there was no need for us to. It was mostly just another excuse to have fun with the family and be happy together. This happened frequently. 

Then, I came back to the States for home assignments (furloughs) and for a transition period before we moved to serve state-side. During these years I was in America for the Fourth of July, and thus I had the opportunity to celebrate "more properly". For a few of these years, I was able to celebrate with extended family and light sparklers. I got to watch with family and friends when cities put on firework shows. For these occasions, I got to deck myself out in glow sticks, turn on my video recorder, and watch in person while filming it for later. And unlike some people, I actually do go back and watch the recordings of the fireworks that I captured. I love to be able to relive the memories through a camera lens. 

But, through all of this, I was frequently missing the point of the holiday. I loved eating amazing food. I loved spending time with people I care about. I loved getting to watch the colors in the night sky. I loved getting to listen to upbeat fun music. But, I was not always recognizing the point. And I am kind of glad about that. 

What bothers me now (and it has for a while, but I could never figure out why) is when the 4th of July is a big deal in the church. Like many holidays, the Sunday before the 4th of July, many of the church members come decked in the right colors for the holiday, with the women repping the extra jewelry that matches as well. Oftentimes there is a sermon connected with the holiday, or it is clear that we are remembering the holiday throughout the opening prayer. That is great for so many holidays, but not for this one.

The early church did not do this. America existed way after Jesus walked this earth. And, even if we want to go with the mentality of WWJD in these situations, did we ever see Jesus celebrating the history of Israel while he was with them? It is written throughout the gospels that Jesus was not there to give them the freedom from the Romans that the Jews wanted. He was there to give them eternal freedom from death & destruction that comes from sin. Now that we have the freedom that the Jews so desperately wanted, is Jesus going to change His tune? No! He wants us to focus on the eternal freedom that we have in Him. Yes, having 'freedom' in America is wonderful. But that is not the point. 

Side Note: I know that I just used the term "freedom" concerning life after salvation myself, but it is technically not accurate because now were are "slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6). We have more 'freedom' and 'rights' than we did we were slaves to sin, but it does not mean that we are free to do whatever we want. If this idea is still not sticking, I recommend you read Romans 6, or all of Romans for that matter. 

So, I think it is important for Christians to think about what we think about an idea or topic in the church throughout our culture. Just because it seems okay and no one has tried to oppose it does not mean that it is accurate or true. There is so much more that could and should go into thinking about allowing traditions and "out of the ordinary" experiences to take place in a church. A great way to first look at it is to see if this would work in another culture, or if all people from different cultures would feel welcome here. 

There is nothing to say that America is the greatest in all of the land, that English is the best language out there, or that American culture is the correct culture. We have seen so much danger with that happening anywhere. What makes it worse is when it is forced on others. Not only do some people look down on those that are different from them, some even force those who are different to live the same way that they do. I am not trying to say that this is what America is doing by celebrating the fourth- not at all. It is just important to recognize when that line is crossed. 

I remember celebrating the Independence Day of the country I was living in. The story of how they won their independence was much less dramatic or as long of a story as the Americans. Yet, it is just as important to the natives. Again, I enjoyed that celebration just as another reason to enjoy having fun with people in the community. Because most of us in this area were not natives, it was fun to celebrate the freedom that we got to take part in without being nationals. The same could be true for those who come to America if the people have the right perspective around them. 

All that being said, enjoy your freedom but don't use it out of context.