Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

On this Fourth of July, a good question to ask is, “If everyone lived out their faith as a citizen the way I do, what kind of nation would we have?” So few could say, “Great!” Most would have to say that they have left the burden on someone else’s shoulders. So before fireworks start, take time for concentrated prayer for our nation. When “God Bless America” runs through your mind, add the words, “God bless America through me.”

There is a story I once heard about a young girl who went to see the Statue of Liberty. It was such a powerful encounter that she was unable to sleep for several nights. Her mother, sensing discomfort asked her what was the problem. The girl replied, “I’m worried about the large lady with the lamp. She must be terribly tired. Don’t you think that some of us out to help her hold up that huge torch?” 

On this national holiday, I urge you to do your share in helping the large lady with the lamp.

But to go along with the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast, don’t you think we should have a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast? Maybe we could locate one in Sarasota, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. Others have also suggested this balance. Freedom without responsibility leads to chaos. Liberty and responsibility belong together.

Let us pray: God of love, as we celebrate another anniversary of the birth of our nation, we give you thanks for our heritage. For Native Americans who saw you in the forces of nature – sun, moon, stars, clouds, rain – and who sought to conserve the land and animal life, we thank you. For the Pilgrims who uprooted themselves from their homeland and came to these shores so they could be free to worship, we thank you. For the founders of our nation who affirmed, “In God we trust,” we thank you. So bless us this day that we may be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today reflect for a moment on the turning points, or stepping stones, in your Christian life that has brought you from birth to this moment. These may be fairly few in number, five to eight, probably not more than twelve. Examples maybe – I was born, I faced an illness, a friend nurtured me, etc. List your turning points with a sentence or phrase saying what each turning point represents to you.

The exciting thing is, you do not have to wait for a turning point! We should not sit around hoping for a change, a break, a winning lottery ticket, for something to happen. We really have it in our power to turn that corner, to make the change, to start things going in a different direction. We should never think we are too old to make a change that it is too late to begin again. We do not have to go along with unhappy conditions nor accept ill-health as our lot. The turning point comes first of all, “in us” not in some outer circumstances. Base this Christ confidence on Philippians 4:13, “l can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Winston Churchill went back to his old public school when he was old and famous, to give the graduation address. All the names were called. Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” was no doubt murdered by the high school band. Sir Winston rose to give his speech about what he had learned in eighty years of public service. He cleared his throat and gave the shortest commencement address on record. He said, “Never give up! Never give up! I say, Never give up!” 

Let us pray: God of love, we thank you for turning points that enable us to move ahead and become more like Jesus. Fill us with hope and joy that we may never give up. Bless us so we may be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

There is an old apocryphal story about the great boxer Mohammed Ali. Just before takeoff on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded Ali to fasten his seatbelt. “Superman don’t need no seatbelt,” he replied. “Superman don’t need no airplane either,” retorted the stewardess. Ali fastened his belt. 

I love that. I love the way the stewardess replied with humor. She defused the tension and got the results.

Sometimes we all do let our pride get the best of us: 

When we always have to be right…
When we have to have the last word…
When it is my way or the highway…
When we won’t listen to those with whom we disagree…
When we won’t ask for help, even though we need it… 

The truth is, there is no such thing as Superman. None of us are invincible. We are not self-sufficient. We can’t make it on our own. We need other people, and we need God.

Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples who perhaps struggled the most with pride. Over the years he grew deeper and wiser. In his older age, he wrote, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble… Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5b-6).

Today, let us ask God to help us lay down our pride – so that our lives would have room to heal and grow. 

Let us pray: Today, O God, we surrender to you our pride. We don’t have to reflect extensively to realize that we can’t make it alone for very long in life. We need you. Move deeply in our lives this day. Heal us, renew us, and refresh us with your love and grace – we ask in all humility. Amen. 

Sometime back, I re-read Jesus’ call of the twelve apostles. I tried to imagine myself in that group – the joy of being recognized, the joy of being wanted, chosen. The truth is, the community of faith has always understood itself to be God’s chosen people. All the way back to Abraham and even before, God has called people. God has said, “I have called you by name. You are mine.” 

Not that being chosen is a claim of superiority. It’s not. It’s a blessing, but it’s not a step up the status ladder. 

I’ve often thought about it like this. Imagine if I come home at the end of a long day, when my daughters have been at home all day, and the house is a wreck. Now if I say vaguely, someone needs to clean up this mess, do you think anyone will do it? Probably not. But if I give a little of my fatherly attention to one of them and say, “Emily, I want you to clean up this mess.” I’m probably going to have a little better results. 

God says, you John, you Nathan, you Amy, you – I want you. I want you together. I have called you by name. You are mine. I want you to serve me. 

I pray today that when you feel God’s call, that tug at your heart, may you and I answer, “Here I am Lord. Use me.”

Let us pray: Here we are, Lord. We know that you have called us. You have called us to follow. Some of us have heard you quite clearly, and we’re trying our best to answer. Others of us, we’ve heard, but we’re not sure how to answer. And still others of us are just not sure we’ve heard you, yet. 

Each of us longs to hear your voice, your reassurance, your direction. Keep us open, so that when we do hear you, we might say, “Here I am. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Amen. 

Psalm 16 is a beautiful lesson on perspective. It is attributed to King David, but many scholars believe it was first discovered and sung by the community in the time of exile. This was a time after the nation of Israel had been conquered and burned by the armies of Babylon. The vast majority of people were forced to leave their homeland and settle in a foreign land. 

 In so many ways, I’m sure this psalm resonated. It begins with a heartfelt prayer, “Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.”

You may know that prayer all too well.

Many of the psalms are prayers like this – prayers for redemption, prayers for healing, prayers for deliverance, prayers for rescue. And this psalm, no less, expresses a pathos and a longing… But it doesn’t get stuck there.  

The Psalm continues: I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel… In your presence, there is fullness of joy. You show me the path of life… And then, this beautiful statement: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” 

This is language from the book of Joshua. When the Israelites came into the promised land, the land itself was divided up among the tribes. This statement is an acknowledgment that the land that I was given, is good land.  

It is interesting to think about this Psalm being sung in exile by people who now have no land at all, people who really have nothing to call their own, but people who still claim this blessing nonetheless. In exile, this statement is simply a metaphor. It is acknowledgment that even in the darkest valley, even in the most trying times, even with everything stripped away, there is still beauty and goodness and grace. 

There is always the freedom to choose our perspective. But it’s not easy, is it?

My prayer today is that you and I would ever make a conscious choice to keep the reality of God’s blessings and presence before us. May our vision never become clouded with fear or bitterness or arrogance or resentment. And may we notice again that indeed the boundary lines have also fallen for us in pleasant places.

Let us pray: Even in the most trying times, we don’t have to look far, O God, to see how richly you have blessed us. Open our eyes to see and hearts to respond. Amen.