Independence Day: Gratitude and Mission
July 4, 2010
Fr. George Smiga
Luke 10:1-12
The fourth of July is not a Holy Day. It is not a part of a liturgical year. We do not
have special readings for this day in our lectionary. And contrary to the suggestions of many parishioners this week, as you can see, my vestments today are not red, white, and blue. Nevertheless, when Independence Day falls on a Sunday, as it does this year, it is appropriate for us to ask: What is the intersection between our faith and our citizenship, what do the scriptures say about this national feast that we celebrate this weekend? When we pose that question, a rather clear message emerges for us today.
People of faith celebrate Independence Day in a way that is different than people who have no faith. From a faith perspective we approach the fourth of July with gratitude and mission. Now most Americans that I know feel themselves very lucky to be living in this country. When you look at our prosperity and our freedom, I know few people who wish to live anywhere else. Even in these hard economic times when a lot of us are struggling, our standard of living and the opportunities that we still have as Americans exceed those which are available to most of the people in our world. I would say, that by and large we feel ourselves lucky to be Americans.
But Americans who are people of faith have a slightly different perspective. We do not so much feel lucky, as blessed. We are not so much satisfied, as we are thankful. We feel that we are fortunate to be Americans because we see our nation as a gift from God. The difference is significant. If you’re lucky, you’re just lucky and that’s it. If you feel that you are blessed, however, then you know that the things that you have, have been given to you by someone who loves you. Such a gift demands gratitude. Such a gift implies an obligation to the giver. So people of faith approach this holiday, not just by feeling lucky, but by feeling thankful. We believe that our freedom and this country come from God.
But thanksgiving leads to mission. If all we have has been given to us, then we have an obligation to respond to that gift appropriately. It is clear from today’s gospel that our response flows from being sent. Jesus sends the 70 out to every place that he is going to visit to speak in his name, to extend his peace, to minister to the sick, and to announce the Kingdom of God. In a like way, we who feel that we have been blessed by the gift of this country have a mission, a mission to speak the words of Christ and to stand for his values in the national debates that frequently occur among us. We are fortunate to live in a country where the voice of the people is heard. We who are followers of Christ are called to represent his values and his presence in our nation. If indeed we have been sent, then we have been called not to just represent what we think or what most people think, but what Jesus thinks.
The old cliché, “What would Jesus do?” is relevant here. What would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? What would Jesus say in our national debate about the value of life: the value of life in the womb or the value of life among the elderly? What would Jesus say about those who are unemployed and our responsibility in some way to assist them? What would Jesus say about our national immigration policy and those who wish to work and to live among us? What would Jesus say about the poor, about those who do not have adequate access to food, education, or health care? That is the mission of those who have been so blessed as Christians to represent Jesus’ voice in our national debate. We do this because we have been sent. We embrace this mission because we are thankful. We know that were it not for God’s love and God’s blessing, we would not have our job, our home, our family, our health, our education, our freedom, or our country.
I think most Americans feel that they are lucky to be Americans. Christians know that they are blessed. The gift of this country is a gift from God. So let us celebrate this July 4th from the perspective of faith. Let us be thankful to the God who has given us our freedom and our nation. And let us embrace our mission to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom from sea to shining sea.
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