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Worship on the Fourth of July

Submitted by jvoorhees on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 11:35am.

flag and JesusOne of the ongoing struggles I have in ministry has to do with the place of patriotic recognitions in worship. I have reconciled myself to having the U.S. flag present in the sanctuary, believing on the one hand that claiming loyalty in the state stands at odds with our loyalty to God, but also knowing that there are other beliefs at work and that it isn’t really worth the battle to try and remove it.

Where I especially struggle is in regards to the “high holy days” of the American patriotic season — Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and Independence Day. Part of my problem is that I often forget in my worship planning that for some these days have some connection to the church. But my main struggle is with whether the observance of these holidays is appropriate in a church setting or not.

This is a special issue for us United Methodists, for the “high point” of our life in the U.S. (the 1940’s and 50’s) saw a church in which faith was often equated with patriotism and good citizenship. American Civil Religion (a description coined by Martin Marty) ran rampant in the Methodist Church, and one of the benefits of our “decline” is the recognition that our place in the seats of governmental power led to a faith with little connection to the teachings and example of Jesus. Like the religious right of today, Methodists believed that they held the power cards, and the fall since those days has been hard.

So, the question for the day is: How do you incorporate or avoid patriotic observances in your worship services? Do you grin and beat it, embrace the recognition of flag and country fully, or try to walk a fine line in between? What did you do this Sunday (today) to remember Independence Day, or did you avoid the topic entirely?

 

Trusting in the Word

Submitted by guest on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 3:12pm.
I simply preach the lectionary and trust in the Word to be the focus of worship. We acknowledge the 4th and sang a patriotic hymn, which is a prayer, so I'm more than comfortable with that. I do not think there is any reason to conspicuously ignore a holiday that is important to our identity. However, "civil religion" really bothers me so I could never lead a "patriotic service," only a Christ-centered service. One of our musicians offered to sing "The National Anthem" and another a song about the Statue of Liberty, and I graciously declined. I went to a local church for a patriotic concert last Sunday night (another denomination) and I found it extremely uncomfortable, especially when the pastor said "it's because of God that we are so prosperous" (wouldn't that mean it's because of God that Ethiopia is poor?). I love my country, but part of loving my country is a willingness to be critical of it, to stand up when the kingdom of God as described in scripture would pervade and correct us. I appreciate my country but my passion is for God.

allegiance

Submitted by Nathan Mattox on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 3:37pm.
In the Children's sermon and in the regular sermon, I taught about the Shema and how it is our "ultimate pledge of allegiance." So basically, I didn't deny the importance of 4th of July (and what it represents) to the people, I just attempted to put it in its proper place in our "allegiance hierarchy." PS--interestingly, the kids didn't know why we celebrated 4th of July--I guess it's not just the bible stories that aren't soaking into them.... If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. ~William Blake

In an Army Chapel

Submitted by mitchlewis on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 8:57am.
First, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I think a number of Tony's assertions are wrong. War is sometimes the solution. Peace and freedom are sometimes found on the battlefield. Imperfect peace and freedom, imperfect solutions, but sometimes much better than the alternative. But that's not the main point I want to make. So how do warriors and their families worship on Independence Day weekend? I'm sure that it varies from place to place. Here's what we did in our non-denominational Christian service in a military chapel this weekend: we prayed, we read from the Bible, we sang hymns, the chaplain preached on "Modern Day Pharisees" from Matthew 23 and we shared the Lord's table. The choir director asked me if we should sing patriotic songs, but she knew what my answer would be. I've always told her the songs should go with the scriptures and the theme of the sermon. During the call to worship, one chaplain recalled that we were celebrating Independence Day this weekend and made a lesser-to-greater analogy: if our community celebrates our national freedom with fireworks and festivals, how much more should we Christians celebrate the greater freedom that is ours in Christ. That's it. No pomp or pageantry directed at the nation. No pinch of incense offered to the emperor. Surprised? I live and work with men and women who wear the national colors on their right sleeves. We salute the the raising and lowering of the colors every day. We love our country enough to lay our lives on the line for it. We know something of its greatness and we know something about the multitude of problems it faces. We certainly know something of the limits and imperfections of human institutions, but we love our country deeply. I don't know any Christians in uniform who confuse, however, the love that we have for our country with they loyalty that is due to God in Christ alone. When we gather as the Church, it is Christ who is at the center of our attention. If a bunch of dog-faced Soldiers can understand that the love of country is a penultimate good, why is it so hard for everyone else? And, btw, I think it was Rousseau who coined the term "civil religion" and Robert Bellah whose 1967 essay "Civil Religion in America" made it a a common term in the American religious vocabulary. Someday, I'm going to write a book: In Modest Praise of Civil Religion.

Mitch's comments

Submitted by jvoorhees on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 6:34pm.
Actually Mitch, my experience in Clarksville with a large presence from Ft. Campbell affirms exactly what you spoke. I think that service to the country provides a context in which to better understand what is required of God and what is required of country. The soldiers with whom I lived and worshiped were some of the most dedicated individuals to the ideals of faith. It was those who remained behind and benefited from the fruits of their labors that seem most confused about the differences between our allegiance to God and our allegiance to country. I wonder at some level if this is partially due to a very realistic assessment of our country among our service folks? While they are certainly loyal to country and patriots in every sense of the word, they have also learned that more often than not their purpose in fighting and serving is more directly connected to the individuals with whom they serve than some larger ideal. That's not to say that they aren't patriotic, but in my experience more often than not the thing that leads people into battle is their relationships with their immediate community (those whom they serve with) with love of country coming a bit further down the line. I would be interested in your thoughts as to why those who serve seem to have a better understanding of the relationship between faith and country. Thanks for correcting me on the "civil religion" descriptor. I was working from memory and the first time I came upon the phrase was in a Martin Marty writing in the 80's.

Back to Jay

Submitted by mitchlewis on Sat, 07/12/2008 - 1:26am.
Jay - I think you are partly right. It is true that soldiers know the reality of combat - its ugliness and nobility, its potential and its limits - much better than those who talk about it but who have never experienced it. (They also know some of the joys and wonders of serving in a huge bureaucracy!) I think your phrase "realistic assessment of our country" is pretty accurate. It think that there is also an intense loyalty that soldiers develop for each other in a combat environment. What is happening right now in my grid square occupies most of my thinking when things go boom. The bigger picture does tend to fade into the background. But that doesn't mean the bigger picture is unimportant. Most of the soldiers I know who have served in operational deployments intensely WANT to make a positive difference in the world. They want their sacrifices and actions to count for something bigger. A substantial part of that "something bigger" is the welfare of their own nation, but that's not all of it. Soldiers want to leave the people better off when they leave a place than when they entered it. The stereotypical cynicism that one sees in movies about the Vietnam War, for example, is not typical of the men and women with whom I've served for the past 17 1/2 years. They have a realistic love of their country, its people and its ideals. In my experience, this honest patriotism is neither laughed at by soldiers nor cynically exploited by military leaders. When they talk about love of country, they believe what they are saying. Of course people join the military for complex reasons. I'm just saying, for most of us, love of country isn't irrelevant to what we do. This is true regardless of the religious commitment of the soldier. Soldiers are a pretty typical cross spectrum of America when it comes to deeply held religious values, faith commitments and life choices. For those of us who are Christians, our faith informs our service and puts it in perspective. When Christian soldiers and their family members come to worship, they expect that the God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ will be at the center of it. They don't need another reminder about Army values or another opportunity to honor their country. They have plenty of occasions for those things during the week. What they do need is to hear the the story of God's saving acts, to see themselves within that story, to be encouraged and equipped to live Christan lives individually and collectively, to participate in the body of Christ, to receive forgiveness for their sins and healing for the souls. That's what the majority of people are looking for when they come to chapel. Fortunately, that corresponds with my calling and ordination as a leader in the church, so that's what I try to give them.

Opportunity

Submitted by RevJ on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 5:40am.
I have learned that if I avoid these days, it can cause more problems then if I do something to recognize them. This past Sunday I prayed for our country and our leaders (since the pres and vp are both Methodists). It was also an opportunity to remind people that patriotism is not blindly following leaders but it is holding your country accountable to one’s highest standard. Our highest standard as Christians is Christ and there is nothing wrong with praying for our country to act more like Christ. Now I am not looking forward to VBS this year (my first one at this appointment). Each day the kids will start out with the pledge of allegiance to the American Flag, Christian Flag, and Bible. For me, pledging allegiance to the American Flag is hard…very hard for me to say. I have not worked that all out yet but it is something I will probably avoid this year at VBS. It may be a bathroom break time. Anyone else feel that way? Love these questions…keep up the good work.

First, let me say that I

Submitted by tnrambler on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 7:44pm.
First, let me say that I have been in this charge for all of 3 weeks. Our opening prayer was one of the "for our nation" prayers from the BOW (actually it was one from japan, i think) and the Great Thanksgiving that I used was an adaptation of the Independence Day service that was on the GBOD website. The choir also sang something called Statue of Liberty, a schmaltzy piece of gospel music tripe comparing the cross to the statue of liberty (at the request of a member of the church who can be a handful)... it will be the last request that they take from her (per the choir director... I didn't say a word). Otherwise, the lectionary scriptures were used and my sermon was entitled Sharing the Load. So, I think it was a good balance.

Not really a problem

Submitted by guest on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 7:02pm.
I stick with the lectionary and preach the scripture. That's what I am paid to do and I make no apologies for doing my job with integrity. Like Dr. Tony, there are points where the civic celebration informs the scripture, such as Freedom in Christ versus American Freedom. If there are no such connections, I preach the text. I don't permit the Pledge of Allegiance. Today we did sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" which I take as a prayer, which God will do with as God sees fit. We ended with "This is My Song," a fitting balance.

Amen!

Submitted by guest on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 3:53pm.
Hey jay, I feel ya. I do almost exactly what you do [often forget about these days in the worship planning] and feel very much like you feel. And, I almost always get a comment or two about "leaving out" the commemorative spirit of the holiday. For example, for Memorial Day I did almost nothing in the service other that recognizing our veterans. I specifically honor them on veterans day. When asked why I didn't do anything with the individuals who had died in the last year I reminded the person that we honor those who have died in the faith on All Saints Day. This Sunday, there was no singing of America the Beautiful, etc. For me worship is to mono-focal event: We are focused on the One who God and Savior of all cultures, including but not limited too, the United States of America. Many in my little tribe equate patiotism, good citizenship and embrace the whole notion of the American Civil Religion. I haven't got it all figured out yet but this is where I am now. Peace, E

I spoke on the idea of

Submitted by DrTony on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 2:35pm.
I spoke on the idea of freedom ( "What Exactly Is Freedom?". I didn't use any of the typical patriotic songs; if there had been a choir available, I would have asked them to Elvis' "American Trilogy". As you will note in the sermon for today, as well as my posts for the past few years, I have been disturbed by the churches of this country walking lock-step with those who seek war as the solution to the problems of the world. As I have said before, if we are who we say we are, then we need to speak out against war and be the instrument of peace we were meant to be. This does not mean that we are less patriotic than others; in fact, I would argue that we are perhaps more patriotic. Peace and freedom are not found on the battlefield but in the hearts and souls of the people. We are charged with being the disciples of Christ, bringing the lessons taught to us to the world. Dr. Tony
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he marches to the beat of a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away - Henry David Thoreau  
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