As we prepare to celebrate our nation's birthday, it's a good time to reflect on who we are and how we came to be.
Unlike some American Christians who wrap themselves in the flag, I believe the Constitution is correct in its interpretation (if unknowingly) of Luther's concept of the Kingdom of the Right and the Kingdom of the Left. In this case the Kingdom of the Right is the church and the Kingdom of the Left is the state. We live in a representative democracy not a theocracy. Our nation's founding fathers undertook a bold experiment that resulted in what has been called American Exceptionalism.
This bold experiment forged a nation free from the political, cultural and religious baggage of old Europe. While there was a belief that God had given us this new land and blessed the efforts of the faithful to build a nation, there was no established religious institution charged with the spiritual oversight of the people. Whether a Christian or a Jew or a Deist, one could read the words of Psalm 33 with the vision of what the United States should be in mind.
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen se his heritage! [Psalm 33:10-12]
As a nation we have been blessed. It is a mistake, however, to think as some Christians in this country do that the fortunes of God are tied to the well-being of the nation. It is not vital to God whether we rise, fall or cease to exist. If we fail as a nation, the Lord doesn't fail. If we should cease to exist, the Lord God will not cease to exist. There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed us as a nation. The question is whether we have squandered these blessings.
Although the Lord is not tied to our fortunes, we also must remind ourselves that we are tied to the Lord's graciousness. Once upon a time the values and ethics of our society ran fairly parallel to those of the church. Hence, what we look back at as the "good old days". In the last 50 years the values and ethics of society have made those of the church counter-cultural. The church now finds itself in the midst of the struggle to accept the norms of society or hold to the historic teachings and values of the Bible.
When we are tempted to jettison the commandments and the doctrines of the church to accommodate the world, why should we expect the Lord will continue to bless us? Why should we doubt or reject as silly the idea that the chaos we see in society, the anarchy, the proliferation of evil, natural disasters and debasement of humanity is God's judgment on the land? Why should we presume divine beneficence and protection when we reject the Giver of these gifts? Those who claim God has to preserve us because we are America should take another long look at the history of Old Testament Israel.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Can we claim this is true of our country today? If not, the remedy is the same as it was for ancient Israel. Repent. If we repent, the hand of blessing will not be removed from us. It is time to call our people to repentance. We pray that the Lord will restore our good fortune, give us faithful, able leaders and enable us to be better stewards of the gifts He has entrusted to us. Only then will we say with certainty and confidence, "Blessed is the nation -whose God is the Lord."
Blessings, Pastor
