“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
And thus it begins.
Independence.
July 4th 1776.
And war.
A motley assortment of colonies, with not much in common. Some were founded on religious grounds, to be free to practice their own particular kind of Christianity, but most were founded as business ventures from various groups.
Our own State was colonized by families from Barbados, who had run out of land for the plantation economy so they started it all over again in the low country of this State.
Thirteen colonies in a fertile country, blessed with abundance, blessed with sunshine and rain, and tired of the imperial abuse of power, tired of the rule of law being over looked, tired of a fair trial being done away with at the leisure and convenience of the British Empire, with a King who was reckless and unaccountable.
The Declaration of Independence gives a long list of such grievances.
It was a bold move.
Government was no longer done by a God anointed ruler, rather God anointed all people with inalienable rights and it was the God given right of the people to choose their own governance.
It was a change in theology, a change in political theory, a change in human culture and economics. A whole country that says we are all anointed by God, not the divine right monarchy, don’t tread on me!
And it was a threat to those who felt they were entitled to the place of privilege.
Of coarse it was almost two centuries until the United States really practiced what we preached, slavery had to be ended first, then women had to vote, then Jim Crow had to defeated and laid to rest.
Really, if you think about it, America is only about forty years old, my Grandparents generation finally made America real.
Independence Day.
Independence is a sign of maturity, of being grown up.
What does it mean to be grown up? To be mature? Not just as individuals but as a nation?
The Gospel lesson for Independence Day is interesting.
It is a feast day for the Episcopal Church, I transferred it from Wednesday to today so that we could really observe it together, to celebrate this unique mixture of national history and sacred history.
The Gospel lesson speaks of being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.
“Perfect” is an interesting word, in Matthew’s Gospel it means being complete, whole, finished, mature, all done growing up, with a heart that is undivided by competing loyalties, with a heart that is complete, finished, whole with the one loyalty to God.
And what does God’s maturity look like? What does God’s undivided loyalty mean?
What God’s whole heart looks like is sunshine and rain, sunshine and rain which shower down upon all whether they are good or evil, whether they are righteous or unrighteous.
Indiscriminate in graciousness, indiscriminate in hospitality, indiscriminate in love, sunlight and rain are showered down upon all.
We are all anointed, we are all chosen, God sees all of us and says, “Yes”!
Jesus is that sunlight, that rain showering upon us, that indiscriminate love, that “Yes”, that whole hearted loyalty and devotion no matter what, that image of deep maturity, humanity all grown up.
How is that for a picture of maturity? –just spreading sunlight and rain willy-nilly, crazy lush green gardens jumping up everywhere, without discretion.
Pouring out honor upon all like a fountain!
Be perfect like God is perfect.
A land with plenty of rain and sunlight and a people endowed by their Creator.
It is a vision of God’s Kingdom.
It is tempting to cling to our sunshine and rain, and to only share it with those who we dream worthy or in our interest, but Independence Day, but the Perfection of God calls us to more than that.
They are the deep and resounding bell tolling out across history shaking the foundations and rattling the windows, ringing out to be grown up, mature- loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.
Grow up, be complete!
Because that is who God is, and that is how a mature humanity, a mature nation lives.
Independence Day. The day of growing up. The day of maturity. The day of sunlight and rain showering down upon all.
That is something worth pledging our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.