Musings of an Anxious Patriot

This weekend is the annual celebration of the day the American colonists' Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence—July 4, 1776.

We’ll fly our flag proudly at home. Actually, we’ll fly three flags: one will fly on a staff over our curbside mailbox, and two smaller ones will be on display in the flower beds. We’ll grill hot dogs and possibly watch the movie version of the Broadway show, “1776.” We missed the show last year, but it’s become something of a 4^th of July tradition at our house since we first watched it with part of our extended family when we were vacationing in Fairbanks, Alaska eight years ago.

I am a veteran. I’m no hero. I was in the Marine Band at Quantico, Virginia until August, 1967, when I left for Vietnam. Before the Tet Operation in early 1968 I was primarily a trombone player in the 3^rd Marine Division Band in Phu Bai (about 14 miles south of the ancient citadel of Hue). When the Tet Operation erupted, the division moved to Quang Tri (just south of the DMZ), where we put our instruments away and served in various combat operations until I rotated out and came home. We rarely engaged the enemy.

I stand for the National Anthem. I place my right hand over my heart and frequently get misty; although, I bear no disrespect or ill will toward those who exercise their first amendment rights to kneel in protest of injustices that scarcely can be denied.

Occasionally I go online and watch a video of some Marine band on parade, and I get teary-eyed and experience a thrill when they hit those opening notes of the Marine Hymn.

I vote in every election, and frequently contact the legislators who represent my area. And I have served in public office.

So, I consider myself a patriot, and will celebrate the birth of our nation on Saturday.

But on Sunday, I will be in church to worship God and to give thanks for God’s grace. And in God’s sanctuary my patriotism will not express itself in celebration, but in repentance and prayers for forgiveness and healing. As the hymn says, “America! America! God mend thine every flaw.” And flaws abound. Nothing positive or constructive ever has emerged in the history of humanity from any mixture of patriotism and religion.

On Sunday I will pray that God will forgive the divisive, intolerant hatred that has infected the country I am proud to have served, and I will pray that God will heal our land. And no matter how passionately it is denied, hatred—some directed at specific people and some just ambiguous and generalized—is the root sin of our nation. It manifests itself most destructively in what has been called religious nationalism.

So, I’ll fly the flag on Saturday, and celebrate the nation that was “…conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”[1] I’ll celebrate the great vision that propelled our forebears: the vision articulated on our Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

But on Sunday I’ll pray for forgiveness for what America instead has become and for the people destroyed in process of becoming what we are. And I will pray for reconciliation among the diverse peoples still at enmity within our borders, so that the vision in which America was conceived actually might be realized someday.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NRSV)

That’s the way it looks through the Flawed Glass that is my world view.

Together in the Walk,

Jim

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[1] From Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

"Let The Words of My Mouth..."

“…and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NRSV)

Words. Vocabulary.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words will never hurt me.” Really? Ask that 14-year-old girl at the junior high camp I directed—the one who clawed her face until it bled because she was teased about her freckles. Ask me about how I felt when I was called a queer (1957-58--before enlightenment) because I was smaller and less athletic than most of the boys in my class—and because I was a musician.

In my preaching professor’s office were two shelves of books about words. One reason his preaching was so effective was that he carefully chose each word, crafting each sentence and transition. He taught that words have gender, and texture, and color, and temperature.

Effective public speakers know how to choose specific words to encourage, to challenge, to inspire, and unfortunately, even to incite to violence. Words carelessly tossed into the wind can do more harm than ever intended.

The problem is that in today's house-divided-America some people (too many), either by intention, or by denial, or simply out of oblivion, are choosing words precisely that divide and trigger anger, and in this house divided, in which tensions and anger and partisan animosity already are overpowering, anger all too quickly erupts into verbal, and/or physical violence.

Words can be correct and still be manipulated to mislead and to distort the truth. Some media analysts and wannabe pundits on social media have become specialists at such strategies of misdirection, denial, and the exploitation of ignorance. And the further one moves toward the extremes, left or right, of the political and ideological spectrum, the more intense is the application of those strategies.

Words can heal. Words can reconcile. Words can unite. Words can be essential parts of a solution to most human problems. Words also can be—and too often intentionally are—weaponized and therefore are precisely a part of any problem of human relationships and interaction.

The words are not the problem. They simply are tools. The problem is a spiritual one. And at this point, I specifically will be addressing Christians; although, if any others find my remarks helpful, I am grateful. Here is the spiritual problem for the Christian: There cannot be found anywhere in Judeo/Christian Scripture any justification for any behavior—ANY BEHAVIOR—that results in division and alienation.

Every word of Christian Scripture is focused upon God’s saving action in Jesus Christ, whose purpose, in his own words, was, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 NRSV) How is dropping the “F” bomb on everyone who holds a different perspective even remotely consistent with that purpose?

“…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NRSV) How does calling liberals “snowflakes” or “libtards”, or calling conservatives “idiots” or “wackos” promote reconciliation?

 ^“…he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10 NRSV) The intention is clear[1]: God’s will, God’s plan for all creation, is unity, harmony, reconciliation. How does the use of derogatory labels promote God’s will, God’s plan for people who are different in any way from each other?

Words. Vocabulary. Labels. Stereotypes. Choose yours carefully, because “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 12:36-37 NRSV).

That’s the way it looks through the Flawed Glass that is my world view.

Together in the Walk,

Jim

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[1] In the original language, the underlined words are one word, ανακεφαλαιωσασθαι (which is a tongue-twister pronounced “ah-nah-keh-fah-lie-oh-sas-thigh”) which means to recapitulate or to sum up, as in a column of numbers. It also refers to justifying or reconciling two sets of numbers, as in reconciling one’s checkbook with the bank statement. I found one secular application to music, when two or more performers are singing and/or playing different notes or melodies at the same time—what we would call today, “harmony.” The King James Version says, “gather together in one,” the RSV says, “to unite all things,” the NIV says, “to bring unity to all things,” The ERV says, “be joined together…” The intent becomes clear: unity, reconciliation, harmony describe God’s will and God’s plan.