Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

          In the year 1776,  a group of leaders of the British Colonies in America set forth a list of grievances against the English king and declared their right to abolish his authority over them because of his gross negligence as ruler. This document was the Declaration of Independence, and it was revised and ratified by the Congress of these United States on July 4^th of that same year, two hundred fifty years--and one day--ago.

As citizens and as Christians, we honor our country and preserve its history so that we can fully appreciate how precious our freedoms are, and how much sacrifice has guaranteed them to us, and be even more grateful to God for the liberties and blessings he provides us. But even as we celebrate the 250^th birthday of our earthly land, and honor those who have worked and died for our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; even as we recall again the ideals of our nation, we are reminded of something. We are reminded that though this nation is one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all—it is not our home.

Even though we are under Mr. Trump’s earthly authority, this president is not our ultimate ruler. Even though it guarantees us liberties, the Bill of Rights is not our standard of freedom. And neither does the Declaration of Independence make us truly free.

You may know the comic strip B.C., those of you who still read print media. It’s the one that features cavemen and anthropomorphic animals. The late author of B.C. , Johnny Hart, was a Christian and he often held up Christian themes through his art. In a strip published on July 4^th one year, a character was sitting under a tree writing a little poem that had to do with celebrating freedom and Independence Day, but at the end of the poem, the character says, “But those whom the Son makes free are free indeed.”

Our citizenship is ultimately in heaven, our ruler is the Lord God Almighty, our freedom is guaranteed by the blood of the Son, our rights are the rights of an heir to the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Our banner is ultimately the cross. We pledge no higher allegiance than to the one who set us free with the blood of his covenant with us, the one who rescues us from the body of death. If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed.

Our true king is not one that we must declare independence from, but allegiance to. And he does not come to us as a warrior, mounted on a great war-horse. Instead, he comes humbly, riding on a donkey, a sign of peace in ancient times. He comes, offering rest to those who are weary and carry heavy burdens. He promises mercy to those who take his yoke upon them, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

By taking on Christ’s yoke, marked with the sign of his cross, we are made free from our burdens of sin, from the burden of doing the evil that we do not want, but do anyway. This is our true king and the laws of our true country. And it is how we are also called to act in this world: with humility, obedience and service.

Jesus did not come to save the world by using the world’s tactics of violence, arrogance, self-service corruption, tribalism, jockeying for power and respect. Instead, he brought peace by having violence done to him, gave life by being put to death. He is triumphant and victorious through humility, and is Lord of all because he is a servant of all.

Sometimes, people are tempted to place honor of country and allegiance to God side by side on equal ground, and the two get confused. When this confusion happens, when we are tempted to think we can vote in the kingdom of God, Christians are called to remember that Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that Christ is the Lord of all the earth. Following Christ means that we should never truly be at home here in this world or this nation, and that among the followers of Christ, there is no Jew or Greek, conservative or liberal, Palestinian or Israeli, American or Iranian.

This does not mean that we do not dearly love and uphold our country and its leaders, symbols and traditions. It does not mean that we do not defend our land, or wage war if necessary. We must: a nation without borders and without the will to defend its civilization is no nation at all. But first and foremost we must be dedicated to Christ’s purposes of freedom not just of body, but of soul; of justice not just for this earth, but for eternity.

And even as we honor our land and its high ideals this weekend,  we do well to remember that we are all in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. The good we want to do is not what we do. We can will what is right, but not do it. Sinful humans too often pervert patriotism, sell honor to the highest bidder, and use nationalistic fervor and pride to promote selfish interests. Christians who love their earthly land must not be afraid to speak the truth about it. Christians must be vigilant for their countries, loving them dearly, but also calling them to accountability before God.

Because it is God alone who is faithful in all his words; it is God alone whose dominion is from sea to sea. It is God alone who is our ruler, our judge and the one we must answer to for our actions and our failures to act.

And God alone has made us free. The American Declaration of Independence from Great Britain is vital in our history, and in the history of humanity, but more important is the declaration of independence and grace that comes from our Lord. The prophet Zechariah says that God will command peace to the nations, he will make wars to cease, and his dominion will be from sea to sea. From the River that flows by the throne of God to the ends of the earth, God’s dominion endures throughout all ages. The prisoners will be set free from their bondage to sin; the heavy burdens will be laid down at the foot of the cross, and God’s people will have double grace and blessings restored to them.

Presidents and nations will pass away. Documents and constitutions will be destroyed. The wars in the middle east will become only a footnote in human history. Flags and navies and armies will all be gone, but the Word of our God will stand forever. His kingdom is established forever. His cross is forever over us, and those whom the Son makes free will be free indeed. Amen.