“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 be 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.
It is a major feast in the Episcopal Church.
It marks the colonial church of England breaking its ties with England and becoming independent. The origin of our denomination is all wrapped up with the origin of our country.
The flags of both church and state are displayed here in the nave of the church.
Outside the altar rail.
These symbols do not claim or state that God is on our side.
Some folks have thought so, leading to their removal from the worship space, and rightfully so if that is how people understand them.
But I think most people are much smarter than that.
For me, I like the flags being here.
They are part of who we are, part of our offering up to God of all that we are.
God is greater than our flags so we offer them up to the One who is great.
Flags can mark two ways of being a people: the one we hear the most about is that they represent division, exclusion, hate and dominance.
But the other way is better: the flags represent distinctiveness, uniqueness, history, a certain character, our part in the wider body of the world.
The first way is fallen, idolatrous and evil, arrogant nationalism.
The second is an offering to God that we may become a blessing to and for the world, a humble patriotism.
Independence Day: the feast where we celebrate the beginnings of our nation and our church, and as all feasts do, this is also a time to renew our commitment and vision to a better world, where we offer up to God all that we are in thanksgiving that we may bring blessing to the world rather than curse, independence rather than domination.