Happy Birthday America!

Sermon Title: Happy Birthday America!

Good News Statement: God protects our freedom. “In God we trust…”

Preached: Sunday, July 4, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Psalm 33 Today’s scripture reading comes from the 33^rd Psalm written by the Psalmist during the reign of King David. Listen to the words of this Psalm of Freedom and Praise…

Psalm 33: The Greatness and Goodness of God

¹ Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. ² Praise the Lord with the lyre;  make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. ³ Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. ⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. ⁵ He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. ⁷ He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him, ⁹ for he spoke, and it came to be he commanded, and it stood firm. ¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing he frustrates the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. ¹² Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. ¹⁴ From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth— ¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. ¹⁶ A king is not saved by his great army a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. ¹⁷ The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.

¹⁸ Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, ¹⁹ to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. ²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. ²¹ Our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name. ²² Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You will be 246 years old this Monday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You have a rich, spiritual history that continues to influence us today. For example: “My County, ‘Tis of Thee” was written by a Baptist minister, Samuel Francis Smith; “The Pledge of Allegiance” was written in 1892 by a Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy; The words “In God We Trust” are traced to the efforts of Reverend W.R. Watkinson; and Reverend John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Your currency still carries the motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.” May we learn to transfer this motto from our coins to our hearts!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Your flag waves proudly in the free air—a symbol of all that makes you great. Whether at a ball game, concert, or worship service, she still demonstrates a message of liberty and justice for all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Even though you have a short history, God has richly blessed you. You are the richest nation in the world.

But what is this “richness” that our country is so proud of? What is this “richness” that motivates us to say “In God We Trust”? What is this “richness” that stirs our hearts to be the “land of the free” and the “home of the brave?” This “richness” is what we call freedom; but it’s not just any freedom. It is a freedom that lies within the praise, reverence, dependence, and hope of our God. In God we trust to be given a freedom that leads us to eternal salvation, to our ultimate “finally.”

Opening Prayer:

            Let us pray… Dear Heavenly Father, allow this message to remind us of the freedom we have gained through you. May my words fall to the ground as Your words settle in the hearts of all those before me. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Body:

The year was 2008, and I was sitting with my parents and brothers on a hillside in a small town in Illinois. The date was July 3^rd. Instead of walking to our regular spots at the other end of the park, we decided to not venture so far because the crowds were getting unbearable and it certainly wasn’t the coolest of evenings. We walked a short distance from my Aunt and Uncle’s house and found a spot on a hillside. We set up chairs, laid out the blanket, opened the cooler, and passed some snacks around. Everything was going smoothly!

            About thirty minutes after getting settled and realizing that my brothers ate all the good snacks, the announcement that the fireworks would start shortly boomed throughout the park. There was a young family sitting in front of us: they had a little girl about the age of six. As soon as the announcer said the word “fireworks,” that little girl had the biggest smile on her face. Just from her excitement, we all knew that this year’s fireworks would be one to remember.

            The first set of fireworks went off. The sky was lit with reds, blues, purples, greens, yellows, and a pearl white. The little girl was speechless. Her smile was the loudest thing in the entire park. But then…after five minutes of watching the fireworks, the booms of the fireworks were in competition with this little girl’s question: she asked, just five minutes into the show, “Is this the finally, dad? Is this the finally?” For the next twenty-five minutes, ever firework that went off, that question was heard loud and clear: “Is this the finally?

Although this question got old rather quick, it made an impression in my life because fourteen years later I am telling you all about it! But what has changed over these fourteen years is the meaning of that simple question: “Is this the finally?” We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Those who sacrificed their lives, who gave it their all, who paid the ultimate price, so that you and I and many others can live in the land of the free and the home of brave, knew that the present was an honor but tomorrow was a gift. They lived every day has if it was their finally. Are you living the same way? Are you living today as if it could be your finally? Here on earth, we all live in freedom, but in heaven we will experience God’s eternal freedom—a freedom of praise, reverence, dependency, and hope. The Fourth of July is a day to live in freedom but it is also a day to remind ourselves of the finally that is still yet to come. The Psalmist reminds us of this in his thirty-third psalm.

The Psalmist begins, “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” (Psalm 33:1-5). The Psalmist reminds us, that we are not to keep silent about the freedom we have through God. We are not to keep silent about the reality that we have a home in glory land. We are not to keep silent about the fact that we are God’s chosen people. And we are not to keep silent about the righteousness and justice that prevails throughout this land. Instead, we are, as the Psalmist points out, to rejoice in the LORD, to praise Him with a lyre—with a joyous melody, a new song—to play a harp with ten strings, and to shout from the mountaintops that Jesus Christ is Lord of all (Isaiah 42:11): He is the King of Kings, the one who paid our debt and takes away our sin and gives freedom in the form of salvation, righteousness, and justice. We are to shout as loud as we can because God has given us a freedom that is worth praising about.

When we think about freedom, we often think about the many lives that paid the ultimate price. There is sadness, grief, and sorrow attached to freedom. The Star-Spangled Banner, melodically notes, “The ramparts we watched…the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air….” War was happening as Francis Scott Key penned these words. Devastation and defeat and possibly death were on the minds of those fighting for our freedom back in 1776, not joy and not praise. But at the war’s finally, there was praise: praise for the all those who gave it their all so that freedom would ring for generations to come. Freedom is praise: praise from those who stood against the bombs bursting in the air and praise that God was there to bring those lives into the land of the free: free from worry, pain, and suffering. The very land in which we all call home today. Freedom is praise.

The Psalmist continues, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him, for he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage” (Psalm 33:6-12). Freedom is reverence. Reverence is the act of giving deep respect for someone or something. So freedom is an act of respect, acknowledgement, and honor given to someone or something. Today, in our American culture, we have crossed the line from disrespect to outright blasphemy! God’s holiness is mocked. It is open season on the character of God. Who is this God that we say we trust in? The Man upstairs? The Big guy in the sky? The Bible says He is the Holy One—El Shaddi (Almighty One)—Alpha and Omega—Creator of the Universe—Everlasting Father—Rock of Ages. Jude reverenced God. He closed his short letter with these powerful words: “To the only God and Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more! Amen” (Jude 1:25). Freedom is a sign of reverence, to give God the glory, to lift up His name, and to bow down and worship Him. Through reverence, we come to trust in God and become a happy nation. The one who created this universe deserves our reverence because He alone created our freedom. He created “One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

Red Skelton reminds us of this reverent freedom in his definition of The Pledge of Allegiance: He begins, “I—Me; an individual; a committee of one. Pledge–Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity. Allegiance—My love and my devotion [and my reverence]… He ends with, “One Nation—Meaning so blessed by God. [Under God] Indivisible—Incapable of being divided. With Liberty—Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live [their] own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation. And Justice—The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others. For All—For All. That means…it’s as much your country as it is mine.” Freedom is reverence; and this reverence has been around since the time of creation and still exists today. As followers of Christ, we are to give reverence not only to God, but to all those who are of one nation. “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him…Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage” (Psalm 33:8 &12). Freedom is reverence.

Freedom is to be dependent on the one who granted us freedom. “The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth—he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save” (Psalm 33:13-17). Although we are granted freedom—independence, self-determination, liberty, emancipation, free-will—we are still dependent on God. God looks down from heaven and sees all humankind, notes the Psalmist. God sees all and knows all. He realizes that we have liberty, but we still need Him to gain a sense of liberty in our life. Without God, we are not free. Without God, we have no righteous finally. Without God, we are shackled by the chains of oppression, defeated, and in despair.

From where God is enthroned, He watches the inhabitants of the earth and takes note that kings and warriors are nothing without Him. There is no victory in Christ if there is no dependence on God. It is recorded that General George Washington prayed before his last battle: before victory was crowned to this Nation a fearless leader depended on God’s power to grant freedom to the people. Although we have freedom, our freedom doesn’t exist unless we realize that we are dependent on God. Without God in our life, we have no freedom.

This leads us to the last section of Psalm 33: “Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalm 33:18-22). There is hope in freedom and there is freedom in hope. The word “hope” means “to cast one’s cares on another.” In this case it means that we should throw ourselves upon the unfailing love of God. The Bible is a book of hope! The Gospel is Good News. Psalm 43:5: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” Hope is the oxygen of the soul; the Lord and His unfailing love.

Hope is what gives freedom its ring. Hope is what leads us towards God’s steadfast love. Hope is what delivers the soul from death and keeps us alive. Hope is our help and shield. Hope is what gives us trust in Him. Hope is the reality that we trust in God. Hope is the land of the free. Hope is the home of the brave. Hope is the place in heaven where we called to witness the ultimate finally. Hope is our freedom through Jesus Christ, our Lord. “Be strong, [have hope], and let your heart take courage” (Psalm 31:24) knowing that with God in your life, absolutely nothing can take your freedom away.

During the dark days of the American Revolution, when the Continental Army had experienced several setbacks, a farmer who lived near the battlefield approached Washington’s camp unheard. Suddenly his ears caught an earnest voice raised in agonizing prayer. On coming nearer he saw it was the great General, down on his knees in the snow, his cheeks wet with tears. He was asking God for assistance and guidance. The farmer crept away and returned home. He said to his family, “It’s going to be all right. We are going to win!” “What makes you think so?” his wife asked. “Well,” said the farmer, “I heard General Washington pray out in the woods today—such fervent prayer I have never heard. And God will surely hear and answer that kind of praying.” And the farmer was right! It happened because Washington put his hope in God. Without hope, there is no freedom.

Conclusion:

Freedom is more than a song: it is an attitude of praise. Freedom is more than a gift: it is a promise of respect, honor, and reverence to God and all those who paid the ultimate price. Freedom is more than a group of letters: it is something that was created by God knowing that the inhabitants of this earth would have to be set free from their transgressions and wrongdoings. Freedom is more than something to celebrate: it is something to long for, to live into, to hope and pray for.

For this 4^th of July, when a little girl repeatedly asks, “Is this the finally?” take note that this is not the finally: this is the beginning of living into the freedom that God has given us so that one day we will be welcomed into His glorious kingdom, His land of the free and home of the brave. “In God we trust” is this Nation’s motto, and it is a promise by means of praise, reverence, dependence, and hope that one day we will experience the best type of freedom there is: Eternal Love, Salvation, and Peace.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Keep the candles of your birthday cake of freedom burning bright. The Fourth of July is a day to live in freedom but it is also a day to remind ourselves of the finally that is still yet to come. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Communion Transitions:

Benediction:

So what does freedom mean to you? May you be blest with victory and peace, and may God grant you an eternal freedom that rests in your heart. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. Amen. Amen. Amen.