From The Workshop

FROM THE WORKSHOP Thank you Jenna, Andrea, Kristi, Candice, Choir, Worship Team, Electronics gurus, Elders, Deacons and all for keeping the fires burning these two weeks. I am currently with the two grands at their Mimi’s home close to Charleston, SC. In a few days I’ll be heading west after a wonderful Father’s Day weekend and week with an array of favorite family foods. Worn thin before I got here, the 5 and 7 year olds have about finished me off! Where did the energy go?–mine not theirs!
 
When I get back it’s the Sunday before July 4, the time we remember the founding fathers and the birth of our nation. There is a lot of faux and mis-remembered history going around about God and our country. We have “in God we trust” on our currency and the majority of the nation still professes to be Christian. However, the US Constitution’s First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This means that we are all free to worship according to our traditions but no one religion is primary.
 
This was not true in Israel’s history. What we know today as the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah) owed their very existence to one God (Yhwh). Through prolonged struggles with outside kingdoms, these two countries either rose or fell depending on their faithfulness to Yhwh. This form of governing is called a “theocracy.” God’s word is conveyed by priests, prophets, and the Law. 
 
The United States is governed by a “democracy,” a system of providing for the common good provided by laws. As a people, we elect officials to represent us and to administer the laws justly. Their decisions can by aided by their faith in God. Basic Biblical principals like respect for the neighbor; compassion for the suffering, the hungry, the endangered are included in the common good along with safety, education, and laws to protect all. However, the Bible does not provide a blueprint for ordering or promoting a specific government. 
 
When we gather for worship on Independence Sunday, June 30, we will give thanks to God for our country, our way of life, and our freedoms. We will remember those in struggling democracies (in the Mid East, in Ukraine, in South America), and we will seek God’s direction as we move forward with compassion and confidence to love others and advocate for justice and mercy. For we are disciples of Christ. 

See you Sunday, July 30th,
Pastor Tom