A Christian Nation, Or A Nation With Some Christians?
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Dear Fellow Preacher:
There can be no question but that the big news this week is the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by America soldiers. In fact, it's a story that is likely to get bigger before any kind of resolution comes. Here at The Immediate Word, we think that talking about this subject in church, distasteful as it may be, cannot be avoided. So we have asked team member George Murphy to suggest some preaching points using the lectionary texts for May 16 as a basis.
This issue includes team responses, illustrations, worship resources, and a children's sermon.
A Christian Nation, or a Nation with Some Christians?
Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 21:22--22:25; John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9
By George Murphy
"May God be gracious and bless us," Psalm 67 for the 6th Sunday of Easter begins. That was originally a prayer of the nation of Israel but many Americans have come to see their own nation as called and blessed by God for special tasks in the world. We are to be the ones to make the world safe for democracy, the "shining city set on a hill" as a recent president liked to put it. The idea that we could make Iraq a democratic example and a catalyst for the modernization of the countries of the Middle East flows from such beliefs.
Then stories about the abuse of prisoners in Iraq began to surface, and on the evening news we've seen pictures of smiling American soldiers watching the humiliation of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison. People around the world are quick to ask -- and we can't avoid asking ourselves -- are our exhibited standards qualitatively different from those of Saddam Hussein's thugs? How can we expect God to bless a nation that acts like this?
The Second Lesson for this Sunday, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, provides perhaps an even more pointed way of posing the challenge. The text is part of the Bible's vision of New Jerusalem. After all the persecutions and battles and disasters presented in the first part of Revelation, finally the powers of evil are defeated and the holy city comes down out of heaven to a renewed earth. (As described in the Second Lesson for the previous Sunday, Revelation 21:1-6.) That's something of a surprise because we're so used to the idea that salvation means finally "going to heaven." The action in Revelation, however, goes in the other direction. The earth is not abandoned.
But then there's another surprise. Throughout this book the nations of the earth and their kings seem to have been uniformly fighting against God and God's people. But now here come "the kings of the earth" riding through the gates of New Jerusalem to "bring their glory into it." And just so we don't miss the point, it's repeated: "People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations." The population of the holy city is apparently not going to be just a small rigorist group of martyrs and confessors. (This point is made well in G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine [Harper & Row, 1966], pp.279-280.)
"The glory and the honor of the nations" must be all the good that has been accomplished in history, no matter by whom it may have been done. But there are things that are excluded -- those that are unclean, abominable, false or (22:3) accursed. There is an ultimate divine judgment of value. And that drives us to the question for this week: When all -- really all -- is said and done, what of the accomplishments of our nation will be within the walls of the holy city and which will have to be left outside? (That question can also be asked on a personal level but at this point I don't think we should get deflected to the issue -- important in its own right -- of how God may reward the good works of individual Christians.)
But maybe we need to back up. What about the whole idea of America as a "Christian nation"? How seriously do we need to take that, for good or for ill?
The United States of America is not a Christian nation in any legal sense, nor can it be as long as the First Amendment is in force: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Nevertheless, this country has been strongly influenced by Christian traditions since well before its independence. The percentage of Americans who attend Christian churches and identify with them is considerable higher than in most other countries. Like it or not, we are seen as an example of a Christian society by people of other faiths, and especially now by Muslims.
American Christians might have avoided a lot of misunderstanding and self-delusion if they had been more consistent in remembering the simple fact that the Christian community transcends national boundaries. The "holy nation" of 1 Peter 2:9 is the church, not any political realm, a church that is -- as a familiar hymn puts it -- "elect from every nation." If, during the cold war, we had remembered that there were millions of Orthodox Christians in the Soviet Union, there would have been no less cause to be vigilant, but our attitudes and prayers might have been rather different.
It's hardly surprising that many Americans have seen themselves as a kind of chosen people. Many of the first European colonists to come here, as well as the first immigrants to the new nation, were Christians who were fleeing religious persecution of one sort or another. They saw themselves in the role of the people of Israel, brought by God into a promised land. (The dark side of that analogy is all too obvious: If America was Canaan, Native Americans were the Canaanites.)
The contrast between the type of government set up by the young country and the repressive systems of most European States fostered a sense of distinctiveness, and the growing power and extent of the United States during the nineteenth century made it perhaps inevitable that this would lead to the belief that this country was to be an agent for the democratization -- and sometimes evangelization -- of other parts of the world. For example:
Months after the decision had been reached to hold the Philippines, the President [McKinley] told a Methodist delegation at the White House that in answer to his earnest prayers for guidance the revelation had one night come to him that "there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God's grace do the very best we could by them as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died." (Julius W. Pratt, A History of United States Foreign Policy [Prentice-Hall, 1955], p.386.)
(One need not question the sincerity of McKinley, who was a very religious man, to point out that many Filipinos were already Roman Catholic Christians, and that there were economic and political motives for controlling the Philippines.)
In the twentieth century two hot wars and a cold one in which the United States saw itself -- and in many ways really was -- "the leader of the free world" strengthened these ideas. It goes without saying that there also have been powerful political and economic motives behind exercises of American powers, and that American actions have sometimes been less than honorable. But it would be wrong to see more idealistic views of the country's mission as simple hypocrisy or camouflage for baser goals. Perhaps Americans have no business thinking that they're to save the world, but that current of thought is a reality.
There should be no objection to the idea that God has, at various times, called different nations to be divine instruments in the world, for the accomplishment of God's purpose. While Israel is the focus of attention in the Old Testament, God is also concerned with the Philistines and Arameans (Amos 9:7). God can use Assyria and Babylon to carry out judgment -- and then destroy them when they exceed their authority. Cyrus is called the Lord's "anointed" even though the Persian king doesn't know the God of Israel (Isaiah 45:1-7). These nations and their rulers are in a sense "chosen," but any privileges that entails have corresponding responsibilities. All the nations -- even Israel -- are answerable finally to God. (Cf. Amos 1 -- 2.)
So perhaps America does have a calling to help other people toward freedom, but whether or not that is the case does not depend on it being a Christian nation. And the more practical point is the USA will be ineffective in that calling if it is seen as a bully and if its representatives seem to act in defiance of ordinary standards of decency.
And when America or its representatives misbehave, Christianity seems to be discredited in the eyes of many people. This should not be a concern just for traditionalists who want to see America identified with Christianity. As Charles Krauthammer points out (in a column in the 9 May Akron Beacon Journal), pictures of a female American soldier sexually humiliating Iraqi men will be pointed to by radical Islamists as the logical conclusion of the liberation of women.
How might the preacher go about dealing with these topics in connection with this week's lessons? To begin with, I think there are a couple of approaches that would not be helpful. Those who have been opposed to the war with Iraq all along may be tempted to use the events at Abu Ghraib to reinforce their message, but that largely misses the point. What happened at that prison was wrong, whether or not the invasion of Iraq was justified. Conversely, if war was not justified then it was wrong even if all prisoners had been treated well.
On the other hand, many Americans want to downplay these abuses by pointing out that such things happen in war, and that what our soldiers and contractors did wasn't nearly as bad as things done routinely by Saddam Hussein's regime. Many of the Americans taken prisoner in the first Gulf War were beaten or tortured. But that also misses the point. All the things we'd like to believe about America, especially if we think that it does have a Christian character, mean that we're supposed to behave better than that. "We're not as bad as Saddam Hussein" isn't much of an argument.
There are several homiletic approaches one might take. Let me suggest a few with possible titles. "Why should we be ashamed of Abu Ghraib?" These actions were carried out by a relatively few people (though how high up those few go we don't know yet). But in some sense the whole country is responsible -- or at least is being held responsible by the world. And in what way is the church responsible? (If we're proud of the influence that Christianity has had on the moral character of America, we also have to take some blame for its character flaws.) Some reflection on the way in which such actions reflect on the church's mission, and on the idea of corporate responsibility -- and perhaps original sin -- would be helpful.
"Where are my loyalties?" We are not at the point where Christians have to make a decision between loyalty to the United States and a higher allegiance to God, and I do not even want to suggest that we are close to it. Except for those who have come here from totalitarian regimes, American Christians have never really had to think about what they would do if really faced with the choice of trusting in Christ or swearing by the genius of Caesar. It would be good for us to think about it.
"How can Christians participate, as Christians, in a pluralistic society?" i.e., how can we follow a distinctively Christians ethic in discussion and cooperation with non-Christians? On some issues, and with some approaches to ethics, this may not be much of a problem. But if we are serious about pursuing an ethic of the cross (as Philippians 2:4-5, Paul's introduction to the Christ hymn of that letter suggests) then there are going to be some serious differences. Christians in the historic peace churches have pursued such an ethic more seriously than some other Christians but have sometimes tended to withdraw from political participation.
"What is the vocation of America?" Can some Christian insight help the nation as a whole see what God calls it to be doing in the world? And how do we go about communicating that?
"What will be American-made in the New Jerusalem?" Excessively self-satisfied responses might be headed off by noting first things that will have to be left outside -- e.g., slavery and its racist consequences and the treatment of Native Americans.
"What is the city of God?" Augustine's use of this idea stemmed from the imagery of Psalm 87 rather than from the text in Revelation but it is still significant for us. Ronald Reagan often used the picture of America as a "shining city set on a hill," a theme that goes back to a sermon of John Winthrop, based on Matthew 5:14, delivered to the Pilgrims as they prepared to leave for America. While this isn't the same as calling America "the city of God," it probably comes close to it for some.
For Augustine, the city of God was not the Roman Empire or any temporal realm but the people of God and the good angels. The whole history of the world (and in fact even its pre-history, including the fall of the evil angels) could be seen by Augustine as a struggle between the City of God, the heavenly city, and a city which is merely earthly and human, represented by the city which Cain is said to have founded in Genesis 4:17.
He began the book after the sack of Rome in A.D. 410 when some pagans argued that it was the acceptance of Christianity that was responsible for the disaster. Augustine replied that Rome, in its long non-Christian history, had plenty to answer for. While the positive accomplishments of the Roman tradition were not to be denied, it was still subject to God's evaluation and judgment.
America is not the city of God, yet it is not merely the earthly city standing in opposition to God's purposes. The role of America does not need to be seen in apocalyptic terms, and the preacher can take on the task of helping people to understand that role more modestly. At the same time, we ought to remember that God has purposes and tasks for other nations as well -- even Iraq or Iran or North Korea. "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage" (Isaiah 19:25).
God's purpose is finally not just the blessing of one country but -- to return to our Psalm -- "that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations" (v. 2). If you want to focus on the treatment of prisoners in general, or might cheat a bit with the lectionary and switch the First Lessons for this Sunday and the following one. The reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter is Acts 16:16-34, with Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi.
Team Comments
Carter Shelley comments: George, while your material for this week offers ideas and strategies for preaching a sermon addressing the current, sad situation regarding abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some American soldiers, when you are talking about American Christians you tend to use the word "they" rather than "we." In pursuing this subject in a full-fledged sermon, the distinction becomes more significant as we stand judged along with our fellow citizens in this affair, whether the identification intended is with our troops or our parishioners, the "we" suggests all of us are vulnerable to God's judgment and correction.
George, you've done a skillful job examining a painful situation. If we Americans currently divided by political affiliations, pro- or anti-war stance, evangelical, conservative or liberal Christian allegiances, we are united in our sense of shame and distress over the revealed humiliation and torture of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. Of course, we know not all American soldiers have committed such atrocities. In fact, it's likely a very small percentage of the thousands of women and men currently serving in Iraq have participated in these dehumanizing acts.
Shame is a peculiar emotion. Often it is the one who is being abused who feels the most shame. In this instance, we the American people safely ensconced on these shores, have not ourselves been tortured and humiliated, yet we do feel shame, pain, and grief over these acts, because they are being done in our name. Just as Jesus told his disciples that the good they would do and the witness they would share would be done in his name. The ills now performed by citizens of our own country besmirch us as well as the individual participants.
That's as it should be. If we get to celebrate the victories, brag about our nation's unique mission to spread the good news of democracy and civil rights, we also must accept the fundamental truth that we as a people and as individuals are not always good, virtuous, selfless, or wise. Nor do all American patriots grasp the distinction between being asked to help -- as in World War II by England, and choosing to help when not asked -- as in Iraq. The distinction is crucial in appreciating how hard the American presence in Iraq is on the Iraqis themselves and how hard being there is on our sons and daughters when they aren't wanted.
All the responsibility for the abuses instigated in prisons do not fall upon the heads of the Secretary of State, the generals overseeing various prisons, or the confused and frightened young soldiers sick of sand and heat and hostile citizens wishing him dead and gone. Not all American soldiers are Christians. Not all American soldiers were raised with ethical, stable role models. Clearly, some American soldiers have imitated military superiors who themselves prefer violence and vengeance over decency and discipline. Nor is it any secret that many of today's soldiers are in the military because they did not have the economic opportunity to go to college or pursue some other career. We also know that many of the "weekend soldiers" who needed the extra income the Reserves provided, never expected to be called to serve anywhere at all, much less for months and months in the Middle East leaving behind jobs that may not keep and families struggling to make ends meet. We have put inexperienced youngsters in a dangerous and scary situation without the training and the moral or spiritual foundation to handle what they face with courage, good sense, and compassion. So yes, it makes sense that we feel shame not only at the horrible mistreatment of Iraqi citizens but also at the hardships our own soldiers face in this post-war season in a land where they are ill-suited to understand the people and culture, adapt to the climate, and endure the incredible pressures of surprise attacks, explosions, and guerrilla warfare.
In a radio interview I heard earlier this week, one soldier was asked what American citizens can do to help our troops deal with the ongoing stresses and daily difficulties our occupation entails. The soldier said, "Write letters." "You have no idea how good it feels to have someone write you a letter from home." "Nothing boosts morale better than a letter or some baked goodies or a picture from home." "Our hope is in hearing from our families and friends. In realizing that this hell in which we are living is not all there is. We have a home to go back to, and whenever we get a card, a letter, or a care package, we escape for a moment or two back to that place where life is safe and good and full of people we love." "You don't have to know a particular soldier, to write a letter. We all want them, so tell folks in America to write us."
It strikes me that this soldier's comments fit George's observations about the book of Revelation's concept of a new earth that includes all that was good and wonderful about the old earth, without all the bad parts that had made it a hell. As Christians we are called to help make heaven on earth. As Christians we are called to speak out against the hell we witness on earth. The current bad tidings from Iraq offer us an opportunity to do both.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education. As part of the media recognition of this landmark event, many of the ugly and tragic parts of racial segregation have been recalled and replayed: segregated schools, water fountains, seats on the bus were a common sight in the southern United States in 1954. Verbal abuse, psychological abuse, physical torture, and lynchings occurred throughout the first five decades of the twentieth century in the South. Such ugly and shameful atrocities of some human beings against other human beings would never have succeeded if all Christians in our nation, but especially those living in the South, had stood up for African Americans when they were so abused rather than colluding with either silence or an averting of one's gaze. The entire bigotry, segregation, hideous persecution of African American citizens could never have succeeded had white Christians not colluded and participated in these horrible acts.
Being a Christian doesn't protect one from our baser instincts and inclinations. But Christianity when sincerely studied and lived can. It's up to us to be ever vigilant to our potential capacity for good and our potential capacity for evil so that we are clear-eyed about the latter and praying fervently to embody the former in the name of One who suffered for us and never once caused suffering for another.
The New Jerusalem: Our Puritan forefathers and mothers notion of New England and America as the new Jerusalem has its origins in a sermon preached on board the ship the Arabella in October 1629 when the soon to be governor of the Plymouth colony, John Winthrop delivered words of the shared vision of a theocracy the settlers hoped to establish in the new world. The sermon was titled "A Model of Christian Charity" and from it come the words George alludes to in his introduction. These words come in the second to last paragraph of a very long sermon in which much scripture is cited and utilized to inspire the travelers to aspire to establish the most devout, pious, and righteous Christian society ever known. The motive arises not from arrogance but from a sincere belief that the civil and sacred character of this new community indeed can be a model for all other peoples to see and seek.
We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "The Lord make it like that of NEW ENGLAND." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.... (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 180)
Where the primary focus throughout Winthrop's sermon has been upon the great ideals, love, and promise an authentically Christian society can provide, the above paragraph concludes with the clear-eyed recognition that failure to obey one's Christian call will make the citizens of this new country not a beacon of hope but a source of shame and disgrace for their failure to be true to their God's love and commandments. This warning loses none of its sting or challenge when read today by the 21st century American heirs to this 17th century American dream.
Carlos Wilton comments: Few Americans ever heard of Abu Ghraib prison before the past week or so. Now, just about everyone in our land -- from the President on down -- hears that name with a sort of revulsion. (The president's word for the behavior of our military jailers in that place was "disgust.")
It's very possible that the news out of Abu Ghraib may represent a sort of turning-point in public opinion about the second Iraq war -- much as the massacres of My Lai turned public opinion against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. (The comparison, of course, is far from exact. Panicky and over-stressed G.I.s gunned down hundreds of villagers in cold blood at My Lai, beating and raping some victims beforehand: while the number of Abu Ghraib inmates who have died in U.S. custody is far smaller. Yet it was retired General Colin Powell himself who made the comparison, and in a certain sense it is apt.)
Should we be surprised that such atrocities have happened? For us as Americans, the answer is yes: Our national ideals of freedom and fair play have been betrayed. We expect high standards of conduct from our men and women in uniform, and most of the time they do not disappoint us.
Yet should this sort of thing surprise us as Christians? The answer is no. This week's passage from Revelation starkly contrasts the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, with even the finest and most magnificent cities of this world. Between the two there is no comparison. Between them there is a vast gulf, and that gulf is human sin.
Sometimes we Americans forget that. Sometimes we confuse the pipedream of our nation as "a shining city set on a hill" with reality: The reality that we are a nation as sin-prone and as subject to selfishness as any other.
What should be our response, as American Christians, to the atrocities of Abu Ghraib? For us, the only possible response is that of Job: to "repent in dust and ashes." To say this is not to make a political statement, partisan or otherwise. It's a theological statement. "The nations" cited in Revelation 21 will never walk by the light of the United States of America, nor any other human nation. Only the city of God, the New Jerusalem, can provide that kind of soul-illuminating light.
Roger Lovette comments: Acts 16:9-15 -- Paul heard the Macedonian call. The door to Asia was closed -- where he intended to go. Instead he was sent in the opposite direction that was to a Roman colony, of all places. If he had not turned west the whole history of the church would have been different. A sermon could be preached on "When God Says No." Frank Stagg has called Acts an "unhindered gospel." Taking this idea from the last verse in the book. Here he goes to the Romans -- the Gentiles ... here he goes to Europe and not Asia. Here he goes to women -- Lydia was the first convert there.
In this single passage he has leaped over three very difficult barriers. Or was attempting to. Psalm 67 certainly reflects this spirit.
In Revelation 21:10 -- This is not original by any means. But as the Left Behind series concentrates on lifting our eyes from earth to heaven -- this verse says that that heaven will come down to earth. Isn't this the way God works? (Why stand ye here gazing into the heavens? Acts 1:11)
John 14:23-29 -- It is a word for the troubled -- verse 1; It is certainly an ethical word -- verse 15; It is a word of comfort -- verse 18 -- I will not leave you desolate could be translated: I will not leave you orphans (or abandoned.) Verse 23 is intriguing -- If a man loves me, he will keep my word...." The saying of words and the doing of words are two separate things entirely. It is not easy to be a word -- which it seems we are called to be here.
Wesley Runk comments: We have a situation in Iraq similar to what we faced in Korea in the 1950s and in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. We are fighting in a situation where we cannot win. We are trying to establish government while still fighting the people, many of whom are innocent of any crime, interspersed are those Iraqis who, only months ago, were torturing their own people.
I have great sympathy for President George Bush or any other person who tries to lead our country with a press that dwells upon every tragedy. No one shows the pictures of our men guarding schools where children are trying to learn, many of them girls who have never been allowed to be educated. Where are the pictures of the men and women who at the risk of their lives restored electricity, sewers, and water. What about the billions of dollars of medical aid and food?
I believe that our leaders believed we were dealing with a nation similar to the ones we've faced in Eastern Europe, where many people felt enslaved by their cruel dictators. I believe that while we were not spotless believed that the people of Iraq wanted to be liberated. How many prisons have you visited to hear from the inmates that guards are perverts and filled with greed. Why do we believe that this action is not the perversion of a few guards or a rotten system and some how believe that the Defense Secretary, The Attorney General, the Vice-President of the United States and yes, the President of the United States are not directly responsible.
When a child is abused in our community do we blame the mayor or the director of human services? Occasionally, yes, we do when he or she makes some comment that is heard as insensitive.
I do not approve of the bad treatment some Iraqi prisoners have been receiving. Yet, the Iraq insurgents would have the American people believe we are no better than Saddam Hussein himself. If our soldiers are digging trenches and murdering the people of Iraq to fill them, we all should hide in shame. However, it's unlikely this egregious behavior represents more than a few sorry soldiers. If you believe this type of crime is widespread, then you and I should stop honoring the servicemen who are over there. We know there are some individuals in the service who made bad choices resulting in brutal actions. They should be punished for it. But they are not the whole story. Alongside them work your sons and daughters, your church members, your neighbors. Yes, things are out of control in many ways in Iraq. One of those things out of control is communications from Iraq. We know plenty about what ABC, NBC, and CBS, as well as, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
I would love to see us our service women and men return home. I would love to say to North Korea, Osama Bin Laden's terrorists, the Taliban, and any other terrorists at large, that we are Christians and we will remember how much we hate war and will lay down like lambs ready for the slaughter in the faithful belief that the lion will be tamed by our peaceful action. However, such a remedy would not have worked against Hitler in WWII or Saddam Hussein in 1991. FDR and Harry Truman knew war was tough and evil. It still is, but sometimes the alternative, letting the bad guys win, is worse.
Subscriber comment from Rev. Carole L. Elrod, Sandusky UMC Birmingham, AL:
I find the news headlines disturbing also in light of the scripture for today [May 9] where Jesus commands us to love one another. I love the idea of Christian nation or nation with some [emphasis on the "some"] Christians because apparently too many Christians take Jesus' words literally and only love other Christians [usually who fit their definition of who a real Christian is]. It is appalling to me to hear people justify the inhuman and inappropriate treatment of prisoners in light of: "They do it to us so why not do it to them?" Whatever happened to the command to treat others as we would be treated? Or Jesus' command to love God and love neighbor as self? There is no way any Christian can justify the news being brought to light out of Iraq. You are so right in reminding us that it is not just we as individuals who will be called to account one day -- it is the Church, the Body of Christ who must also account for both our actions and inactions. We are called to love and there is no getting around that! Blessings and peace.
Related Illustrations
Submitted by Carlos Wilton
From "A Prayer for our Country," by Maurice Boyd:
O Thou who art as the shadow of a mighty rock in a weary land,
Comfort our distraught, distracted, and bewildered Nation.
Enable us to discern Thy judgments and Thy grace in the distress,
confusion, and anxiety of our time.
Keep us from cynicism.
Hold us steady in honor,
Peaceful in integrity,
Steadfast in faith,
Confident in truth and justice,
Assured in judgement,
And patient in tribulation....
Full text available at: http://www.citychurchny.org/prayer.html
***
"Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering."
-- Eugene Peterson, from the introduction to the book of Amos in his Bible paraphrase, The Message
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"We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."
-- Abraham Lincoln, "Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day" of March 30, 1863
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"Power tends to confuse itself with virtue, and a great nation is peculiarly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God's favor."
-- Senator J. William Fulbright, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1966
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"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., in Strength to Love
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"We must continue to remind ourselves that in a free society all are involved in what some are doing. Some are guilty, all are responsible."
-- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
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How many of you have seen the white marble statue of a British nurse standing just above Trafalgar Square and beneath Leicester Square in London? It is the statue of Nurse Edith Cavell. One of her claims to fame is that in the early morning hours of October 12, 1915, she was tied to a stake in German-occupied Belgium and shot as a traitor for the "crime" of assisting soldiers in their flight to neutral Holland. Her last moments were described by an eyewitness: "After receiving the sacrament, and within minutes of being led out to her death, she said, 'Standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone.' " On the base of her London statue are carved the words, "Patriotism is not enough." This is an impressive message from one who lost her life in the name of somebody else's patriotism.
Edith Cavell, an English vicar's daughter, lived and died a Christian, but her last words are almost too enigmatic and too simple, and they compel us to ask now, in a time of war and of rumors of war, what ought to be the proper relationship between love of God and love of country. If mere patriotism is not enough, what is it that will help us to be both conscientious citizens and faithful Christians? Are the two mutually exclusive, or is it possible, somehow, to live responsibly in the tension between those two claims? That is always the business of any Christian who takes seriously his allegiance to Jesus Christ and his responsibility to his country and his society."
-- Peter Gomes, "Patriotism is Not Enough," in Sojourners, January-February 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 20-25). http://www.sojo.net/magazine/index.cfm/action/sojourners/issue/soj0301/article/030110.html
***
A man was watching his two small children, ages 6 and 4, on Wednesday, September 12, 2001, the day after 9/11. The TV announcer said that the President was going to address the nation.
The father said, "Now you have got to be quiet because the most important man in the world is getting ready to speak!"
The 6-year-old then turned to the 4-year-old and said, "You've got to be quiet now. God is about to speak to us."
Worship Resources
George Reed
Opening Music
N.B. All copyright information is given from the first cited place where found. Some copyright information may differ in other sources due to adaptations, etc.
Hymns
"How Great Thou Art" WORDS: Stuart K. Hine, 1953 MUSIC: Stuart K. Hine, 1953(c) 1953, renewed 1981 Manna Music, Inc. as found in: UMH: 77, LBOW: 532 TPH: 467 AAHH: 148 TNNBH: 43 CH: 33
"All Creatures of Our God and King" WORDS: Francis of Assisi, ca 1225; trans. By William H. Draper, 1923, adapt 1987 MUSIC: Geistliche Kirchengesange, 1623; harm. By Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906 Adapt. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 62 Hymnal '82: 400 LBOW: 527 TPH: 455 AAHH: 147 TNNBH: 33
TNCH: 17 CH: 22
"Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty" WORDS: Reginald Heber, 1826 MUSIC: John B. Dykes, 1861(c) public domain as found in: UMH: 64, 65 Hymnal '82: 362
LBOW: 165 TPH: 138AAHH: 329 TNNBH: 1 TNCH: 277 CH: 111
"Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" WORDS: Henry F. Lyte, 1834 MUSIC: John Goss, 1869(c) public domain as found in: UMH: 66 Hymnal '82: 410 LBOW: 549 TPH: 478 GH: 23
"We, Thy People, Praise Thee" WORDS: Kate Stearns Page, 1932 MUSIC: Franz Joseph Haydn, ca. 1780; arr. By Edith Lovell Thomas, 1935; alt. (c) renewed 1963 Abingdon Press as found in: UMH: 67
"O Worship the King" WORDS: Robert Grant, 1833 MUSIC: Attr. To Johann Michael Haydn; arr. By William Gardiner, 1815 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 73 Hymnal '82: 388 LBOW: 548 TPH: 476 TNNBH: 6 TNCH: 26 CH: 17
Songs
"From the Rising of the Sun" WORDS & MUSIC: Anon (c) public domain as found in: CB : # 4
"We Worship and Adore Thee" WORDS & MUSIC: Traditional (c) 1987 Maranatha! Music as found in: CCB : # 6
"Glorify Thy Name" WORDS & MUSIC: Donna Adkins (c) 1976 Maranatha! Music as found in: CCB : # 8
Call to Worship
Leader: May God be gracious to us and bless us;
People: May God's face shine upon us.
Leader: Let the peoples praise you, O God;
People: Let all the peoples praise you.
Leader: Let the nations be glad and sing for you
People: For you judge the people with equity
Leader: and you guide the nations upon earth.
People: May God continue to bless us all.
Collect/Opening prayer
O God who is working for the day when the sea will no longer separate heaven and earth: Grant us the courage to work for that day when your reign will completely come on earth as in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OR
Out of the waters of chaos, O God, you created order and beauty. We enjoy the benefits of your creation in bounteous ways. We know that your creation will not be complete until the unity, equity, and peace of heaven is found here on earth. Prepare us this day to participate more fully in your coming and present reign. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Sing with All the Saints in Glory" WORDS: William J. Irons, 1873 MUSIC: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824; arr. By Edward Hodges, 1864 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 702
"Soon and Very Soon" WORDS: Andrae Crouch, 1978 MUSIC: Andrae Crouch, 1978; adapt by William Farley Smith, 1987 (c) 1978 by Communique Music, Inc. & Crouch Music Corp. as found in: UMH: 706 AAHH: 193 TNNBH: 476
"Rejoice, the Lord Is King" WORDS: Charles Wesley, 1746 MUSIC: John Darwall, 1770; harm. From The English Hymnal, 1906, alt. (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 715, 716 Hymnal '82: 481 LBOW: 171 TPH: 155 TNCH: 303 CH: 699
"O Holy City, Seen of John" WORDS: Walter Russell Bowie, 1909 MUSIC: Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813; harm. By Charles H. Webb, 1987 Harm. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 726 Hymnal '82: 582, 583 TPH: 453 TNCH: 613
"Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life" WORDS: Frank Mason North, 1903 MUSIC: William Gardiner's Sacred Melodies, 1815 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 427 Hymnal '82: 609 LBOW: 429 TPH: 408 TNCH: 543 CH: 665
"Cuando El Pobre" ("When the Poor Ones" WORDS: J. A. Olivar and Miguel Manzano; trans. By George Lockwood MUSIC: J. A. Olivar and Miguel Manzano; arr. By Alvin Schutmaat (c) 1971 Ediciones Paulinas; trans. (c) 1980 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 434 TPH: 407 AAHH: CH: 662
Songs
"We Are His Hands" WORDS: Mark Gersmehl MUSIC: Mark Gersmehl; arr. J. Michael Bryan (c) 1984, 1996 Bug and Bear Music as found in: CCB : # 85
"Shine, Jesus, Shine" WORDS & MUSIC: Grkaham Kendrick (c) 1987 Make Way Music as found in: CCB : # 81
"Refiner's Fire" WORDS & MUSIC: Brian Doerksen (c) 1990 Mercy Publishing as found in: CCB : # 79
Prayers of Confession/Pardon
Leader: Let us with all humility and honesty confess our sinfulness to God and before each other.
People: We confess, O God, that we enjoy hearing the story of creation and that you made all things good. We pray often "your will be done on earth as in heaven." Yet we are slow to live in ways that honors your creation in nature or in human relationships. We are more interested in our will than in yours. We want our way, not yours. To mask this we often act as if our will is your own. Forgive us for our deafness, our arrogance and our lack of compassion. Forgive us for the injustices we do each day and those we condone with our silence. By the power of your Holy Spirit may we remember that your praise is always linked with your justice. Amen.
Leader: Hear the good news. The God of justice is also the God of compassion. God forgives us and offers us the opportunity to move in a new direction, a direction that leads to God's new city.
General Prayers, Litanies, etc.
We praise and adore you God for you are the One who speaks and chaos yields to order and creation. The power of your word/act is greater than all that is or is not. The waters of chaos yielded to you and chaos of our evil and injustice shall yield as well.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We confess that we often shut our ears to the sounds of injustice in your world. We are silent when your children are deprived of food, shelter, freedom, and life. We are content as long as we have these things in ever-increasing abundance. We do not seek to have your will be done on earth as in heaven but rather we want our will to be ratified by you so that we can move forward with holy fervor to complete our own plans. We are a faithless people. Our only hope is in your faithfulness and compassion.
We thank you for your faithfulness. We are grateful for your compassion. You created all things to be good and you are working to bring creation to its fulfillment. Everywhere around us we see beauty and abundance. Everywhere around us we see your presence, your love and your care for creation.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
Because of your faithfulness and compassion it is with confidence that we offer up to you the pains of our world. We share with you the cares of our own hearts and those close to us. We offer to you the pains of those we know only through the news media. We also offer up to you those who suffer and have no one to care for them or pray for them. May our prayers be for all your creation. (Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of Jesus who taught us to pray, saying, "Our Father...."
Hymnal and Songbook abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley T. Runk
Text: Psalm 67 -- "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us." (v.1)
Object: the American Flag
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know what the American flag looks like? (let them answer) Do you see an American flag in our church today? (let them answer) Do you see another kind of flag in our church today? (let them answer) Do you know what kind of flag the second flag is? (let them answer)
Why do we have a flag? (let them answer) Does it stand for America? Does it stand for good things? Does it stand for freedom? Does it stand for good people? (let them answer) How many of you love America? (let them answer) That's good, I love America also. But what happens when things go wrong? What happens when our country does something that it is not proud about? (let them answer) Should we take down the flag?
Should we stop pledging allegiance to the flag? Should we stop singing America the Beautiful, My Country, 'Tis Of Thee, America, The Grand Old Flag, and other great American songs?
Let's take a look at the other flag for a moment. We call it the Christian flag. It stands for our Christian Church. It stands for God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It stands for all the churches in the world. It stands for love, sharing, forgiveness, hope, and faith. It stands for you and me as Christians. What happens when we sin, do bad things? Should we take down the Christian flag? (let them answer)
People who love God do bad things sometimes. They tell lies, they take things that do not belong to them, they hurt other people's feelings, and they curse God with bad words. We are always surprised when other people do things but we pretend that it is not so bad when we do them ourselves.
Countries are like people. They are not always right. Even our America is not always right. Sometimes our country does things that are very embarrassing. Of course it is American people just like it is Christian people who do the embarrassing things. But when other people see them do it they see them wearing uniforms or they have special titles like General or Secretary or maybe even president. When Christians do bad things we are known as churchgoers or members of (name of your church) or (your denomination) or followers of Jesus. One or two bad people can make a real impression on many other people.
Our flags stand for what we want to be and not always what we are in real life. But remember how forgiving God is to each of us. When we confess to God that we are sinners and we need forgiveness God gives us his love and asks us to remember that we belong to him.
I pray that God will feel the same about our America. If it has done wrong it should tell the world how sorry it is for the bad things and ask God to make us a better country. If we are going to be a better country we are going to have to be a better people. Remember what our flags stand for and ask God to bless our church and our country just as God has blessed other people and their countries. In Jesus' name. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, May 16, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503
There can be no question but that the big news this week is the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by America soldiers. In fact, it's a story that is likely to get bigger before any kind of resolution comes. Here at The Immediate Word, we think that talking about this subject in church, distasteful as it may be, cannot be avoided. So we have asked team member George Murphy to suggest some preaching points using the lectionary texts for May 16 as a basis.
This issue includes team responses, illustrations, worship resources, and a children's sermon.
A Christian Nation, or a Nation with Some Christians?
Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 21:22--22:25; John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9
By George Murphy
"May God be gracious and bless us," Psalm 67 for the 6th Sunday of Easter begins. That was originally a prayer of the nation of Israel but many Americans have come to see their own nation as called and blessed by God for special tasks in the world. We are to be the ones to make the world safe for democracy, the "shining city set on a hill" as a recent president liked to put it. The idea that we could make Iraq a democratic example and a catalyst for the modernization of the countries of the Middle East flows from such beliefs.
Then stories about the abuse of prisoners in Iraq began to surface, and on the evening news we've seen pictures of smiling American soldiers watching the humiliation of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison. People around the world are quick to ask -- and we can't avoid asking ourselves -- are our exhibited standards qualitatively different from those of Saddam Hussein's thugs? How can we expect God to bless a nation that acts like this?
The Second Lesson for this Sunday, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, provides perhaps an even more pointed way of posing the challenge. The text is part of the Bible's vision of New Jerusalem. After all the persecutions and battles and disasters presented in the first part of Revelation, finally the powers of evil are defeated and the holy city comes down out of heaven to a renewed earth. (As described in the Second Lesson for the previous Sunday, Revelation 21:1-6.) That's something of a surprise because we're so used to the idea that salvation means finally "going to heaven." The action in Revelation, however, goes in the other direction. The earth is not abandoned.
But then there's another surprise. Throughout this book the nations of the earth and their kings seem to have been uniformly fighting against God and God's people. But now here come "the kings of the earth" riding through the gates of New Jerusalem to "bring their glory into it." And just so we don't miss the point, it's repeated: "People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations." The population of the holy city is apparently not going to be just a small rigorist group of martyrs and confessors. (This point is made well in G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine [Harper & Row, 1966], pp.279-280.)
"The glory and the honor of the nations" must be all the good that has been accomplished in history, no matter by whom it may have been done. But there are things that are excluded -- those that are unclean, abominable, false or (22:3) accursed. There is an ultimate divine judgment of value. And that drives us to the question for this week: When all -- really all -- is said and done, what of the accomplishments of our nation will be within the walls of the holy city and which will have to be left outside? (That question can also be asked on a personal level but at this point I don't think we should get deflected to the issue -- important in its own right -- of how God may reward the good works of individual Christians.)
But maybe we need to back up. What about the whole idea of America as a "Christian nation"? How seriously do we need to take that, for good or for ill?
The United States of America is not a Christian nation in any legal sense, nor can it be as long as the First Amendment is in force: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Nevertheless, this country has been strongly influenced by Christian traditions since well before its independence. The percentage of Americans who attend Christian churches and identify with them is considerable higher than in most other countries. Like it or not, we are seen as an example of a Christian society by people of other faiths, and especially now by Muslims.
American Christians might have avoided a lot of misunderstanding and self-delusion if they had been more consistent in remembering the simple fact that the Christian community transcends national boundaries. The "holy nation" of 1 Peter 2:9 is the church, not any political realm, a church that is -- as a familiar hymn puts it -- "elect from every nation." If, during the cold war, we had remembered that there were millions of Orthodox Christians in the Soviet Union, there would have been no less cause to be vigilant, but our attitudes and prayers might have been rather different.
It's hardly surprising that many Americans have seen themselves as a kind of chosen people. Many of the first European colonists to come here, as well as the first immigrants to the new nation, were Christians who were fleeing religious persecution of one sort or another. They saw themselves in the role of the people of Israel, brought by God into a promised land. (The dark side of that analogy is all too obvious: If America was Canaan, Native Americans were the Canaanites.)
The contrast between the type of government set up by the young country and the repressive systems of most European States fostered a sense of distinctiveness, and the growing power and extent of the United States during the nineteenth century made it perhaps inevitable that this would lead to the belief that this country was to be an agent for the democratization -- and sometimes evangelization -- of other parts of the world. For example:
Months after the decision had been reached to hold the Philippines, the President [McKinley] told a Methodist delegation at the White House that in answer to his earnest prayers for guidance the revelation had one night come to him that "there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God's grace do the very best we could by them as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died." (Julius W. Pratt, A History of United States Foreign Policy [Prentice-Hall, 1955], p.386.)
(One need not question the sincerity of McKinley, who was a very religious man, to point out that many Filipinos were already Roman Catholic Christians, and that there were economic and political motives for controlling the Philippines.)
In the twentieth century two hot wars and a cold one in which the United States saw itself -- and in many ways really was -- "the leader of the free world" strengthened these ideas. It goes without saying that there also have been powerful political and economic motives behind exercises of American powers, and that American actions have sometimes been less than honorable. But it would be wrong to see more idealistic views of the country's mission as simple hypocrisy or camouflage for baser goals. Perhaps Americans have no business thinking that they're to save the world, but that current of thought is a reality.
There should be no objection to the idea that God has, at various times, called different nations to be divine instruments in the world, for the accomplishment of God's purpose. While Israel is the focus of attention in the Old Testament, God is also concerned with the Philistines and Arameans (Amos 9:7). God can use Assyria and Babylon to carry out judgment -- and then destroy them when they exceed their authority. Cyrus is called the Lord's "anointed" even though the Persian king doesn't know the God of Israel (Isaiah 45:1-7). These nations and their rulers are in a sense "chosen," but any privileges that entails have corresponding responsibilities. All the nations -- even Israel -- are answerable finally to God. (Cf. Amos 1 -- 2.)
So perhaps America does have a calling to help other people toward freedom, but whether or not that is the case does not depend on it being a Christian nation. And the more practical point is the USA will be ineffective in that calling if it is seen as a bully and if its representatives seem to act in defiance of ordinary standards of decency.
And when America or its representatives misbehave, Christianity seems to be discredited in the eyes of many people. This should not be a concern just for traditionalists who want to see America identified with Christianity. As Charles Krauthammer points out (in a column in the 9 May Akron Beacon Journal), pictures of a female American soldier sexually humiliating Iraqi men will be pointed to by radical Islamists as the logical conclusion of the liberation of women.
How might the preacher go about dealing with these topics in connection with this week's lessons? To begin with, I think there are a couple of approaches that would not be helpful. Those who have been opposed to the war with Iraq all along may be tempted to use the events at Abu Ghraib to reinforce their message, but that largely misses the point. What happened at that prison was wrong, whether or not the invasion of Iraq was justified. Conversely, if war was not justified then it was wrong even if all prisoners had been treated well.
On the other hand, many Americans want to downplay these abuses by pointing out that such things happen in war, and that what our soldiers and contractors did wasn't nearly as bad as things done routinely by Saddam Hussein's regime. Many of the Americans taken prisoner in the first Gulf War were beaten or tortured. But that also misses the point. All the things we'd like to believe about America, especially if we think that it does have a Christian character, mean that we're supposed to behave better than that. "We're not as bad as Saddam Hussein" isn't much of an argument.
There are several homiletic approaches one might take. Let me suggest a few with possible titles. "Why should we be ashamed of Abu Ghraib?" These actions were carried out by a relatively few people (though how high up those few go we don't know yet). But in some sense the whole country is responsible -- or at least is being held responsible by the world. And in what way is the church responsible? (If we're proud of the influence that Christianity has had on the moral character of America, we also have to take some blame for its character flaws.) Some reflection on the way in which such actions reflect on the church's mission, and on the idea of corporate responsibility -- and perhaps original sin -- would be helpful.
"Where are my loyalties?" We are not at the point where Christians have to make a decision between loyalty to the United States and a higher allegiance to God, and I do not even want to suggest that we are close to it. Except for those who have come here from totalitarian regimes, American Christians have never really had to think about what they would do if really faced with the choice of trusting in Christ or swearing by the genius of Caesar. It would be good for us to think about it.
"How can Christians participate, as Christians, in a pluralistic society?" i.e., how can we follow a distinctively Christians ethic in discussion and cooperation with non-Christians? On some issues, and with some approaches to ethics, this may not be much of a problem. But if we are serious about pursuing an ethic of the cross (as Philippians 2:4-5, Paul's introduction to the Christ hymn of that letter suggests) then there are going to be some serious differences. Christians in the historic peace churches have pursued such an ethic more seriously than some other Christians but have sometimes tended to withdraw from political participation.
"What is the vocation of America?" Can some Christian insight help the nation as a whole see what God calls it to be doing in the world? And how do we go about communicating that?
"What will be American-made in the New Jerusalem?" Excessively self-satisfied responses might be headed off by noting first things that will have to be left outside -- e.g., slavery and its racist consequences and the treatment of Native Americans.
"What is the city of God?" Augustine's use of this idea stemmed from the imagery of Psalm 87 rather than from the text in Revelation but it is still significant for us. Ronald Reagan often used the picture of America as a "shining city set on a hill," a theme that goes back to a sermon of John Winthrop, based on Matthew 5:14, delivered to the Pilgrims as they prepared to leave for America. While this isn't the same as calling America "the city of God," it probably comes close to it for some.
For Augustine, the city of God was not the Roman Empire or any temporal realm but the people of God and the good angels. The whole history of the world (and in fact even its pre-history, including the fall of the evil angels) could be seen by Augustine as a struggle between the City of God, the heavenly city, and a city which is merely earthly and human, represented by the city which Cain is said to have founded in Genesis 4:17.
He began the book after the sack of Rome in A.D. 410 when some pagans argued that it was the acceptance of Christianity that was responsible for the disaster. Augustine replied that Rome, in its long non-Christian history, had plenty to answer for. While the positive accomplishments of the Roman tradition were not to be denied, it was still subject to God's evaluation and judgment.
America is not the city of God, yet it is not merely the earthly city standing in opposition to God's purposes. The role of America does not need to be seen in apocalyptic terms, and the preacher can take on the task of helping people to understand that role more modestly. At the same time, we ought to remember that God has purposes and tasks for other nations as well -- even Iraq or Iran or North Korea. "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage" (Isaiah 19:25).
God's purpose is finally not just the blessing of one country but -- to return to our Psalm -- "that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations" (v. 2). If you want to focus on the treatment of prisoners in general, or might cheat a bit with the lectionary and switch the First Lessons for this Sunday and the following one. The reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter is Acts 16:16-34, with Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi.
Team Comments
Carter Shelley comments: George, while your material for this week offers ideas and strategies for preaching a sermon addressing the current, sad situation regarding abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some American soldiers, when you are talking about American Christians you tend to use the word "they" rather than "we." In pursuing this subject in a full-fledged sermon, the distinction becomes more significant as we stand judged along with our fellow citizens in this affair, whether the identification intended is with our troops or our parishioners, the "we" suggests all of us are vulnerable to God's judgment and correction.
George, you've done a skillful job examining a painful situation. If we Americans currently divided by political affiliations, pro- or anti-war stance, evangelical, conservative or liberal Christian allegiances, we are united in our sense of shame and distress over the revealed humiliation and torture of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. Of course, we know not all American soldiers have committed such atrocities. In fact, it's likely a very small percentage of the thousands of women and men currently serving in Iraq have participated in these dehumanizing acts.
Shame is a peculiar emotion. Often it is the one who is being abused who feels the most shame. In this instance, we the American people safely ensconced on these shores, have not ourselves been tortured and humiliated, yet we do feel shame, pain, and grief over these acts, because they are being done in our name. Just as Jesus told his disciples that the good they would do and the witness they would share would be done in his name. The ills now performed by citizens of our own country besmirch us as well as the individual participants.
That's as it should be. If we get to celebrate the victories, brag about our nation's unique mission to spread the good news of democracy and civil rights, we also must accept the fundamental truth that we as a people and as individuals are not always good, virtuous, selfless, or wise. Nor do all American patriots grasp the distinction between being asked to help -- as in World War II by England, and choosing to help when not asked -- as in Iraq. The distinction is crucial in appreciating how hard the American presence in Iraq is on the Iraqis themselves and how hard being there is on our sons and daughters when they aren't wanted.
All the responsibility for the abuses instigated in prisons do not fall upon the heads of the Secretary of State, the generals overseeing various prisons, or the confused and frightened young soldiers sick of sand and heat and hostile citizens wishing him dead and gone. Not all American soldiers are Christians. Not all American soldiers were raised with ethical, stable role models. Clearly, some American soldiers have imitated military superiors who themselves prefer violence and vengeance over decency and discipline. Nor is it any secret that many of today's soldiers are in the military because they did not have the economic opportunity to go to college or pursue some other career. We also know that many of the "weekend soldiers" who needed the extra income the Reserves provided, never expected to be called to serve anywhere at all, much less for months and months in the Middle East leaving behind jobs that may not keep and families struggling to make ends meet. We have put inexperienced youngsters in a dangerous and scary situation without the training and the moral or spiritual foundation to handle what they face with courage, good sense, and compassion. So yes, it makes sense that we feel shame not only at the horrible mistreatment of Iraqi citizens but also at the hardships our own soldiers face in this post-war season in a land where they are ill-suited to understand the people and culture, adapt to the climate, and endure the incredible pressures of surprise attacks, explosions, and guerrilla warfare.
In a radio interview I heard earlier this week, one soldier was asked what American citizens can do to help our troops deal with the ongoing stresses and daily difficulties our occupation entails. The soldier said, "Write letters." "You have no idea how good it feels to have someone write you a letter from home." "Nothing boosts morale better than a letter or some baked goodies or a picture from home." "Our hope is in hearing from our families and friends. In realizing that this hell in which we are living is not all there is. We have a home to go back to, and whenever we get a card, a letter, or a care package, we escape for a moment or two back to that place where life is safe and good and full of people we love." "You don't have to know a particular soldier, to write a letter. We all want them, so tell folks in America to write us."
It strikes me that this soldier's comments fit George's observations about the book of Revelation's concept of a new earth that includes all that was good and wonderful about the old earth, without all the bad parts that had made it a hell. As Christians we are called to help make heaven on earth. As Christians we are called to speak out against the hell we witness on earth. The current bad tidings from Iraq offer us an opportunity to do both.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education. As part of the media recognition of this landmark event, many of the ugly and tragic parts of racial segregation have been recalled and replayed: segregated schools, water fountains, seats on the bus were a common sight in the southern United States in 1954. Verbal abuse, psychological abuse, physical torture, and lynchings occurred throughout the first five decades of the twentieth century in the South. Such ugly and shameful atrocities of some human beings against other human beings would never have succeeded if all Christians in our nation, but especially those living in the South, had stood up for African Americans when they were so abused rather than colluding with either silence or an averting of one's gaze. The entire bigotry, segregation, hideous persecution of African American citizens could never have succeeded had white Christians not colluded and participated in these horrible acts.
Being a Christian doesn't protect one from our baser instincts and inclinations. But Christianity when sincerely studied and lived can. It's up to us to be ever vigilant to our potential capacity for good and our potential capacity for evil so that we are clear-eyed about the latter and praying fervently to embody the former in the name of One who suffered for us and never once caused suffering for another.
The New Jerusalem: Our Puritan forefathers and mothers notion of New England and America as the new Jerusalem has its origins in a sermon preached on board the ship the Arabella in October 1629 when the soon to be governor of the Plymouth colony, John Winthrop delivered words of the shared vision of a theocracy the settlers hoped to establish in the new world. The sermon was titled "A Model of Christian Charity" and from it come the words George alludes to in his introduction. These words come in the second to last paragraph of a very long sermon in which much scripture is cited and utilized to inspire the travelers to aspire to establish the most devout, pious, and righteous Christian society ever known. The motive arises not from arrogance but from a sincere belief that the civil and sacred character of this new community indeed can be a model for all other peoples to see and seek.
We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "The Lord make it like that of NEW ENGLAND." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.... (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 180)
Where the primary focus throughout Winthrop's sermon has been upon the great ideals, love, and promise an authentically Christian society can provide, the above paragraph concludes with the clear-eyed recognition that failure to obey one's Christian call will make the citizens of this new country not a beacon of hope but a source of shame and disgrace for their failure to be true to their God's love and commandments. This warning loses none of its sting or challenge when read today by the 21st century American heirs to this 17th century American dream.
Carlos Wilton comments: Few Americans ever heard of Abu Ghraib prison before the past week or so. Now, just about everyone in our land -- from the President on down -- hears that name with a sort of revulsion. (The president's word for the behavior of our military jailers in that place was "disgust.")
It's very possible that the news out of Abu Ghraib may represent a sort of turning-point in public opinion about the second Iraq war -- much as the massacres of My Lai turned public opinion against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. (The comparison, of course, is far from exact. Panicky and over-stressed G.I.s gunned down hundreds of villagers in cold blood at My Lai, beating and raping some victims beforehand: while the number of Abu Ghraib inmates who have died in U.S. custody is far smaller. Yet it was retired General Colin Powell himself who made the comparison, and in a certain sense it is apt.)
Should we be surprised that such atrocities have happened? For us as Americans, the answer is yes: Our national ideals of freedom and fair play have been betrayed. We expect high standards of conduct from our men and women in uniform, and most of the time they do not disappoint us.
Yet should this sort of thing surprise us as Christians? The answer is no. This week's passage from Revelation starkly contrasts the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, with even the finest and most magnificent cities of this world. Between the two there is no comparison. Between them there is a vast gulf, and that gulf is human sin.
Sometimes we Americans forget that. Sometimes we confuse the pipedream of our nation as "a shining city set on a hill" with reality: The reality that we are a nation as sin-prone and as subject to selfishness as any other.
What should be our response, as American Christians, to the atrocities of Abu Ghraib? For us, the only possible response is that of Job: to "repent in dust and ashes." To say this is not to make a political statement, partisan or otherwise. It's a theological statement. "The nations" cited in Revelation 21 will never walk by the light of the United States of America, nor any other human nation. Only the city of God, the New Jerusalem, can provide that kind of soul-illuminating light.
Roger Lovette comments: Acts 16:9-15 -- Paul heard the Macedonian call. The door to Asia was closed -- where he intended to go. Instead he was sent in the opposite direction that was to a Roman colony, of all places. If he had not turned west the whole history of the church would have been different. A sermon could be preached on "When God Says No." Frank Stagg has called Acts an "unhindered gospel." Taking this idea from the last verse in the book. Here he goes to the Romans -- the Gentiles ... here he goes to Europe and not Asia. Here he goes to women -- Lydia was the first convert there.
In this single passage he has leaped over three very difficult barriers. Or was attempting to. Psalm 67 certainly reflects this spirit.
In Revelation 21:10 -- This is not original by any means. But as the Left Behind series concentrates on lifting our eyes from earth to heaven -- this verse says that that heaven will come down to earth. Isn't this the way God works? (Why stand ye here gazing into the heavens? Acts 1:11)
John 14:23-29 -- It is a word for the troubled -- verse 1; It is certainly an ethical word -- verse 15; It is a word of comfort -- verse 18 -- I will not leave you desolate could be translated: I will not leave you orphans (or abandoned.) Verse 23 is intriguing -- If a man loves me, he will keep my word...." The saying of words and the doing of words are two separate things entirely. It is not easy to be a word -- which it seems we are called to be here.
Wesley Runk comments: We have a situation in Iraq similar to what we faced in Korea in the 1950s and in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. We are fighting in a situation where we cannot win. We are trying to establish government while still fighting the people, many of whom are innocent of any crime, interspersed are those Iraqis who, only months ago, were torturing their own people.
I have great sympathy for President George Bush or any other person who tries to lead our country with a press that dwells upon every tragedy. No one shows the pictures of our men guarding schools where children are trying to learn, many of them girls who have never been allowed to be educated. Where are the pictures of the men and women who at the risk of their lives restored electricity, sewers, and water. What about the billions of dollars of medical aid and food?
I believe that our leaders believed we were dealing with a nation similar to the ones we've faced in Eastern Europe, where many people felt enslaved by their cruel dictators. I believe that while we were not spotless believed that the people of Iraq wanted to be liberated. How many prisons have you visited to hear from the inmates that guards are perverts and filled with greed. Why do we believe that this action is not the perversion of a few guards or a rotten system and some how believe that the Defense Secretary, The Attorney General, the Vice-President of the United States and yes, the President of the United States are not directly responsible.
When a child is abused in our community do we blame the mayor or the director of human services? Occasionally, yes, we do when he or she makes some comment that is heard as insensitive.
I do not approve of the bad treatment some Iraqi prisoners have been receiving. Yet, the Iraq insurgents would have the American people believe we are no better than Saddam Hussein himself. If our soldiers are digging trenches and murdering the people of Iraq to fill them, we all should hide in shame. However, it's unlikely this egregious behavior represents more than a few sorry soldiers. If you believe this type of crime is widespread, then you and I should stop honoring the servicemen who are over there. We know there are some individuals in the service who made bad choices resulting in brutal actions. They should be punished for it. But they are not the whole story. Alongside them work your sons and daughters, your church members, your neighbors. Yes, things are out of control in many ways in Iraq. One of those things out of control is communications from Iraq. We know plenty about what ABC, NBC, and CBS, as well as, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
I would love to see us our service women and men return home. I would love to say to North Korea, Osama Bin Laden's terrorists, the Taliban, and any other terrorists at large, that we are Christians and we will remember how much we hate war and will lay down like lambs ready for the slaughter in the faithful belief that the lion will be tamed by our peaceful action. However, such a remedy would not have worked against Hitler in WWII or Saddam Hussein in 1991. FDR and Harry Truman knew war was tough and evil. It still is, but sometimes the alternative, letting the bad guys win, is worse.
Subscriber comment from Rev. Carole L. Elrod, Sandusky UMC Birmingham, AL:
I find the news headlines disturbing also in light of the scripture for today [May 9] where Jesus commands us to love one another. I love the idea of Christian nation or nation with some [emphasis on the "some"] Christians because apparently too many Christians take Jesus' words literally and only love other Christians [usually who fit their definition of who a real Christian is]. It is appalling to me to hear people justify the inhuman and inappropriate treatment of prisoners in light of: "They do it to us so why not do it to them?" Whatever happened to the command to treat others as we would be treated? Or Jesus' command to love God and love neighbor as self? There is no way any Christian can justify the news being brought to light out of Iraq. You are so right in reminding us that it is not just we as individuals who will be called to account one day -- it is the Church, the Body of Christ who must also account for both our actions and inactions. We are called to love and there is no getting around that! Blessings and peace.
Related Illustrations
Submitted by Carlos Wilton
From "A Prayer for our Country," by Maurice Boyd:
O Thou who art as the shadow of a mighty rock in a weary land,
Comfort our distraught, distracted, and bewildered Nation.
Enable us to discern Thy judgments and Thy grace in the distress,
confusion, and anxiety of our time.
Keep us from cynicism.
Hold us steady in honor,
Peaceful in integrity,
Steadfast in faith,
Confident in truth and justice,
Assured in judgement,
And patient in tribulation....
Full text available at: http://www.citychurchny.org/prayer.html
***
"Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering."
-- Eugene Peterson, from the introduction to the book of Amos in his Bible paraphrase, The Message
***
"We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."
-- Abraham Lincoln, "Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day" of March 30, 1863
***
"Power tends to confuse itself with virtue, and a great nation is peculiarly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God's favor."
-- Senator J. William Fulbright, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1966
***
"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., in Strength to Love
***
"We must continue to remind ourselves that in a free society all are involved in what some are doing. Some are guilty, all are responsible."
-- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
***
How many of you have seen the white marble statue of a British nurse standing just above Trafalgar Square and beneath Leicester Square in London? It is the statue of Nurse Edith Cavell. One of her claims to fame is that in the early morning hours of October 12, 1915, she was tied to a stake in German-occupied Belgium and shot as a traitor for the "crime" of assisting soldiers in their flight to neutral Holland. Her last moments were described by an eyewitness: "After receiving the sacrament, and within minutes of being led out to her death, she said, 'Standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone.' " On the base of her London statue are carved the words, "Patriotism is not enough." This is an impressive message from one who lost her life in the name of somebody else's patriotism.
Edith Cavell, an English vicar's daughter, lived and died a Christian, but her last words are almost too enigmatic and too simple, and they compel us to ask now, in a time of war and of rumors of war, what ought to be the proper relationship between love of God and love of country. If mere patriotism is not enough, what is it that will help us to be both conscientious citizens and faithful Christians? Are the two mutually exclusive, or is it possible, somehow, to live responsibly in the tension between those two claims? That is always the business of any Christian who takes seriously his allegiance to Jesus Christ and his responsibility to his country and his society."
-- Peter Gomes, "Patriotism is Not Enough," in Sojourners, January-February 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 20-25). http://www.sojo.net/magazine/index.cfm/action/sojourners/issue/soj0301/article/030110.html
***
A man was watching his two small children, ages 6 and 4, on Wednesday, September 12, 2001, the day after 9/11. The TV announcer said that the President was going to address the nation.
The father said, "Now you have got to be quiet because the most important man in the world is getting ready to speak!"
The 6-year-old then turned to the 4-year-old and said, "You've got to be quiet now. God is about to speak to us."
Worship Resources
George Reed
Opening Music
N.B. All copyright information is given from the first cited place where found. Some copyright information may differ in other sources due to adaptations, etc.
Hymns
"How Great Thou Art" WORDS: Stuart K. Hine, 1953 MUSIC: Stuart K. Hine, 1953(c) 1953, renewed 1981 Manna Music, Inc. as found in: UMH: 77, LBOW: 532 TPH: 467 AAHH: 148 TNNBH: 43 CH: 33
"All Creatures of Our God and King" WORDS: Francis of Assisi, ca 1225; trans. By William H. Draper, 1923, adapt 1987 MUSIC: Geistliche Kirchengesange, 1623; harm. By Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906 Adapt. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 62 Hymnal '82: 400 LBOW: 527 TPH: 455 AAHH: 147 TNNBH: 33
TNCH: 17 CH: 22
"Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty" WORDS: Reginald Heber, 1826 MUSIC: John B. Dykes, 1861(c) public domain as found in: UMH: 64, 65 Hymnal '82: 362
LBOW: 165 TPH: 138AAHH: 329 TNNBH: 1 TNCH: 277 CH: 111
"Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" WORDS: Henry F. Lyte, 1834 MUSIC: John Goss, 1869(c) public domain as found in: UMH: 66 Hymnal '82: 410 LBOW: 549 TPH: 478 GH: 23
"We, Thy People, Praise Thee" WORDS: Kate Stearns Page, 1932 MUSIC: Franz Joseph Haydn, ca. 1780; arr. By Edith Lovell Thomas, 1935; alt. (c) renewed 1963 Abingdon Press as found in: UMH: 67
"O Worship the King" WORDS: Robert Grant, 1833 MUSIC: Attr. To Johann Michael Haydn; arr. By William Gardiner, 1815 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 73 Hymnal '82: 388 LBOW: 548 TPH: 476 TNNBH: 6 TNCH: 26 CH: 17
Songs
"From the Rising of the Sun" WORDS & MUSIC: Anon (c) public domain as found in: CB : # 4
"We Worship and Adore Thee" WORDS & MUSIC: Traditional (c) 1987 Maranatha! Music as found in: CCB : # 6
"Glorify Thy Name" WORDS & MUSIC: Donna Adkins (c) 1976 Maranatha! Music as found in: CCB : # 8
Call to Worship
Leader: May God be gracious to us and bless us;
People: May God's face shine upon us.
Leader: Let the peoples praise you, O God;
People: Let all the peoples praise you.
Leader: Let the nations be glad and sing for you
People: For you judge the people with equity
Leader: and you guide the nations upon earth.
People: May God continue to bless us all.
Collect/Opening prayer
O God who is working for the day when the sea will no longer separate heaven and earth: Grant us the courage to work for that day when your reign will completely come on earth as in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OR
Out of the waters of chaos, O God, you created order and beauty. We enjoy the benefits of your creation in bounteous ways. We know that your creation will not be complete until the unity, equity, and peace of heaven is found here on earth. Prepare us this day to participate more fully in your coming and present reign. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Sing with All the Saints in Glory" WORDS: William J. Irons, 1873 MUSIC: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824; arr. By Edward Hodges, 1864 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 702
"Soon and Very Soon" WORDS: Andrae Crouch, 1978 MUSIC: Andrae Crouch, 1978; adapt by William Farley Smith, 1987 (c) 1978 by Communique Music, Inc. & Crouch Music Corp. as found in: UMH: 706 AAHH: 193 TNNBH: 476
"Rejoice, the Lord Is King" WORDS: Charles Wesley, 1746 MUSIC: John Darwall, 1770; harm. From The English Hymnal, 1906, alt. (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 715, 716 Hymnal '82: 481 LBOW: 171 TPH: 155 TNCH: 303 CH: 699
"O Holy City, Seen of John" WORDS: Walter Russell Bowie, 1909 MUSIC: Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813; harm. By Charles H. Webb, 1987 Harm. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 726 Hymnal '82: 582, 583 TPH: 453 TNCH: 613
"Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life" WORDS: Frank Mason North, 1903 MUSIC: William Gardiner's Sacred Melodies, 1815 (c) public domain as found in: UMH: 427 Hymnal '82: 609 LBOW: 429 TPH: 408 TNCH: 543 CH: 665
"Cuando El Pobre" ("When the Poor Ones" WORDS: J. A. Olivar and Miguel Manzano; trans. By George Lockwood MUSIC: J. A. Olivar and Miguel Manzano; arr. By Alvin Schutmaat (c) 1971 Ediciones Paulinas; trans. (c) 1980 The United Methodist Publishing House as found in: UMH: 434 TPH: 407 AAHH: CH: 662
Songs
"We Are His Hands" WORDS: Mark Gersmehl MUSIC: Mark Gersmehl; arr. J. Michael Bryan (c) 1984, 1996 Bug and Bear Music as found in: CCB : # 85
"Shine, Jesus, Shine" WORDS & MUSIC: Grkaham Kendrick (c) 1987 Make Way Music as found in: CCB : # 81
"Refiner's Fire" WORDS & MUSIC: Brian Doerksen (c) 1990 Mercy Publishing as found in: CCB : # 79
Prayers of Confession/Pardon
Leader: Let us with all humility and honesty confess our sinfulness to God and before each other.
People: We confess, O God, that we enjoy hearing the story of creation and that you made all things good. We pray often "your will be done on earth as in heaven." Yet we are slow to live in ways that honors your creation in nature or in human relationships. We are more interested in our will than in yours. We want our way, not yours. To mask this we often act as if our will is your own. Forgive us for our deafness, our arrogance and our lack of compassion. Forgive us for the injustices we do each day and those we condone with our silence. By the power of your Holy Spirit may we remember that your praise is always linked with your justice. Amen.
Leader: Hear the good news. The God of justice is also the God of compassion. God forgives us and offers us the opportunity to move in a new direction, a direction that leads to God's new city.
General Prayers, Litanies, etc.
We praise and adore you God for you are the One who speaks and chaos yields to order and creation. The power of your word/act is greater than all that is or is not. The waters of chaos yielded to you and chaos of our evil and injustice shall yield as well.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We confess that we often shut our ears to the sounds of injustice in your world. We are silent when your children are deprived of food, shelter, freedom, and life. We are content as long as we have these things in ever-increasing abundance. We do not seek to have your will be done on earth as in heaven but rather we want our will to be ratified by you so that we can move forward with holy fervor to complete our own plans. We are a faithless people. Our only hope is in your faithfulness and compassion.
We thank you for your faithfulness. We are grateful for your compassion. You created all things to be good and you are working to bring creation to its fulfillment. Everywhere around us we see beauty and abundance. Everywhere around us we see your presence, your love and your care for creation.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
Because of your faithfulness and compassion it is with confidence that we offer up to you the pains of our world. We share with you the cares of our own hearts and those close to us. We offer to you the pains of those we know only through the news media. We also offer up to you those who suffer and have no one to care for them or pray for them. May our prayers be for all your creation. (Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of Jesus who taught us to pray, saying, "Our Father...."
Hymnal and Songbook abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley T. Runk
Text: Psalm 67 -- "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us." (v.1)
Object: the American Flag
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know what the American flag looks like? (let them answer) Do you see an American flag in our church today? (let them answer) Do you see another kind of flag in our church today? (let them answer) Do you know what kind of flag the second flag is? (let them answer)
Why do we have a flag? (let them answer) Does it stand for America? Does it stand for good things? Does it stand for freedom? Does it stand for good people? (let them answer) How many of you love America? (let them answer) That's good, I love America also. But what happens when things go wrong? What happens when our country does something that it is not proud about? (let them answer) Should we take down the flag?
Should we stop pledging allegiance to the flag? Should we stop singing America the Beautiful, My Country, 'Tis Of Thee, America, The Grand Old Flag, and other great American songs?
Let's take a look at the other flag for a moment. We call it the Christian flag. It stands for our Christian Church. It stands for God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It stands for all the churches in the world. It stands for love, sharing, forgiveness, hope, and faith. It stands for you and me as Christians. What happens when we sin, do bad things? Should we take down the Christian flag? (let them answer)
People who love God do bad things sometimes. They tell lies, they take things that do not belong to them, they hurt other people's feelings, and they curse God with bad words. We are always surprised when other people do things but we pretend that it is not so bad when we do them ourselves.
Countries are like people. They are not always right. Even our America is not always right. Sometimes our country does things that are very embarrassing. Of course it is American people just like it is Christian people who do the embarrassing things. But when other people see them do it they see them wearing uniforms or they have special titles like General or Secretary or maybe even president. When Christians do bad things we are known as churchgoers or members of (name of your church) or (your denomination) or followers of Jesus. One or two bad people can make a real impression on many other people.
Our flags stand for what we want to be and not always what we are in real life. But remember how forgiving God is to each of us. When we confess to God that we are sinners and we need forgiveness God gives us his love and asks us to remember that we belong to him.
I pray that God will feel the same about our America. If it has done wrong it should tell the world how sorry it is for the bad things and ask God to make us a better country. If we are going to be a better country we are going to have to be a better people. Remember what our flags stand for and ask God to bless our church and our country just as God has blessed other people and their countries. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, May 16, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503
