Patriotic holidays and expressions are complicated for me. Do not get me wrong, I feel grateful for the freedoms that I have and thankful to live where I live. I enjoy fireworks, sparklers, and bomb pops, but still, it’s complicated. It is complicated because….

I am the son of a Vietnam era veteran. My dad was drafted into that war, absolutely did not want to go, and yet, served faithfully. He faced lifelong obstacles as the result of this service. His views on patriotism were complicated because of how he was treated when he returned home. I suppose he may have passed some of that on to me.

I am the pastor of a local church. I completely understand that some people love patriotic expressions in church, but my role as a pastor is to point people to Jesus.  This creates tension.  Like I said…it is complicated. I have learned to live in the tension, but I have also learned to seek compromise and build bridges whenever I can on this issue. I believe it is possible to express gratitude to God for our freedoms and at the same time point people to Jesus.   

I am the citizen of a country that continues to move away from God.  Rather than participate in a celebration, I often feel like issuing a call to repentance.  “We need to repent” does not have the same catchy sound as “God Bless America.”  Side rant: it should not be any mystery to us how to arrive in place of God’s blessing as people and as a nation. Matthew 5 outlines this very clearly. Instead of an entitled feeling that God should bless us no matter what, our nation should read Matthew 5, look in the mirror, and come back to Him. At the same time, I think it is good to celebrate the good, noble, and excellent parts of our country.  Ugh…. it is complicated.

As we enter a very patriotic weekend…celebrate, and have some fun. Understand that for some people, this is a complicated holiday and do not be offended by or run away from the complexity. It is in the complexity that conversation can take place and we can all grow. In a way, more conversation and understanding might be the most patriotic thing we do all weekend.

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