Thought for Today
Genesis 40:20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
Psalm 42:4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Mark 6:21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.
John 13:1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Happy Birthday, U.S.A. This is the day that “commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.” (Wikipedia) Generally, establishing the birthday of a person is relatively easy. Selecting a birthday for nations, things or ideas can be a bit trickier. Our forefathers could just as easily have chosen as our nation’s birthday the date of Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown, October 19, 1781 at 10:30am. Alternatively, they could have chosen the date of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783. Those 2 events sealed the independence declared on July 4, 1776.
I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful celebration today. While not a liturgical holiday for Christians, today is of significance for Christians and for all citizens and residents of the U.S.A. One of the most significant elements of our nation is the guarantee of freedom of religion and freedom from religion. With few exceptions, citizens of the U.S.A. are free to worship as they please or not to worship at all. As long as our worship practices, or lack thereof, do not infringe on the practices of others, our government has not authority either to restrict, mandate or prohibit our practices.
Today there will be celebrations, parades, family get-togethers and possibly fireworks. Fireworks will be problematical in some locales due to drought, forest fires or other issues; but, most large cities and many small ones will literally ‘light up the skies.’ Boston traditionally has a concert in ‘the clamshell,’ and a fireworks display on the Charles River. Several years ago, our family, along with friends from Texas, celebrated on a boat anchored in the Charles, watching the celebration from the water. Seeing fireworks from the water somehow seems especially magical.
Today, I am thinking about how birthdays and festivals have been celebrated over the centuries. Evidently, during the pharaonic period in Egypt, birthdays were celebrated by banquets. The same seems to have been true during the Roman Era and the reign of Herod the Great. I suspect John the Baptist would have preferred fireworks and parades instead.
We celebrate our liturgical holidays rather differently. Although, we do celebrate Jesus’ birthday with massive, material displays and events. Christmas has almost as big an economic impact as it does a religious impact. Mayhap have we over commercialized Christmas? Easter does at least have parades with floats and Easter bonnets.
As a Reformed Christian, I have long felt we should celebrate the Reformation a bit more. We at least have a generally agreed upon birthdate, October 31, 1517. That day Martin Luther defaced the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, by nailing upon the door his 95 Theses, or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, by Martin Luther. Should we have parades? Fireworks? Banquets? In truth, at most, some ministers will preach sermons about that act on the Sunday before or after Halloween.
I do believe it is appropriate for Christians in the U.S.A. to celebrate today as a significant event. We live in a nation where we are free to practice our faith, to live out our lives in accordance with our faith. We may occasionally find ourselves ‘swimming upstream’ against the currents of rampant materialism We may occasionally find ourselves combatting social issues like food insecurity or housing insecurity on our own, without the support of our civic institutions. But, that’s what our faith calls us to do, on our own, without assistance from government. We should remember Jesus’ words, Matthew 25:40 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' That is who we are and should be.
Stay safe, celebrate today our freedom to live as Christians, trust God,
Pastor Ray