The last time I was overseas on the 4th of July I was also in the former Soviet Union, arriving on a train from Moscow to Kharkov in the Ukraine in the wee hours of morning. It was 1994 and I was going to visit friends we made back in the 70s in college. They were at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana on an exchange program which also afforded US students the chance to spend a school year in Moscow or a summer in Leningrad.
Because I had my babies while I was still a college student, I was never able to go on one of those exchanges, so getting the chance to visit my old friends 16 years after we had met during the days of Detente so much earlier was very special to me. Now already it has been 11 years since I saw them, and we have been less in touch than we had been during the previous 16 years. But here I am again overseas on the 4th -- and it's made me feel more homesick than anything else has since I've been here.
When I was little growing up in Tower Lakes, Illinois, we had such a completely down-home American 4th celebration it almost seems like a caricature when I tell of it. The day started with a flag ceremony and then the children had a bicycle parade over the asphalt roads covered with tar and white stones. We covered our bikes with amazing variations of red, white and blue crepe paper, streamers and American flags. After the parade there was a Father-Son Baseball Game and then people went home for lunch. Many people had friends and relatives visiting and the smoke of grills rose with delicious-smelling odors all over our community nestled around some small lakes.
It was the early 60s and there were perhaps 80 houses in all. There are many more residents these days, but the charm of the place is still evident and perhaps they have even kept the traditions. In the early afternoon on Rest Island -- connected to the "mainland" by a stately wooden bridge and to Beach Island by a fanciful suspension bridge complete with steel cables -- there were games of all sorts -- egg tosses, three legged races, foot races, egg-in-the-spoon races, and water balloon tosses among others. In the lake around the islands there were rowboat races, sailboat races and canoe races. The ultimate contest was a tug of war where one team held the thick rope while standing on a small island called Boat Island that had a very small channel between it and the mainland. The other team grabbed the rope up on the mainland. Competition was fierce and the Dads and big kids took part, leaving the little kids to be the anchors of the rope. This was because the first several members of the losing team always ended up in the drink -- and mud which was thick and deeper than the water in the little channel.
We all went home or to the beach to swim some more after that. And the evening cookout smells exceeded those of the noontime. Our family often had visitors from the city -- our relatives and friends and my mom always had all the wonderful and traditional picnic foods prepared in addition to whatever the visitors may have brought. There were jellos and salads of all kinds -- macaroni with shrimp, potato salad, green salad and sometimes cole slaw. My Dad is the greatest barbecued chicken cook in the world and his chicken is famous in our family. There were also hot dogs and hamburgers, and ice cream and cake for dessert.
Dinner was barely over when we started planning our strategy to find the best place on Rest Island to watch the fireworks. Out little community had what was called the Tower Lakes Improvement Association and he residents governed themselves and planned for things like making sure the roads were cleaned of snow all winter and that there were fireworks set off from the far side of the lake across from Beach Island and Rest Island. Although it is possible the whole community did not come to the islands since some folks could see the fireworks from their backyards, there were people wall-to-wall . . . or shore-to-shore on both Rest Island and Beach Island as the sun began to set.
An atmosphere of joy and celebration sustained by the long day of friendly revelry came to fulfillment as the last light of the sun disappeared so that it became dark enough for the fireworks. Now since that time I have been in several places where I have seen much more spectacular fireworks. We saw them every night we were at Walt Disney World when my kids were little. And of course the Bi-Centennial fireworks could hardly have been improved on. In addition, during the years I have lived in DC I had seen gorgeous fireworks with the background of the stately and sentimental monuments, listening to patriotic and entertaining music by the National Symphony Orchestra from the lawn near the western steps of the Capitol.
But my favorite fireworks will always be those of my childhood in Tower Lakes. Our collective "oohs" and "ahs" still evoke in my memory the peace and joy and thrill of celebrating our nation under God and all of the ideals and promises embodied in our existence.
As I wrote earlier, I am really feeling homesick today. But I was just reflecting on my friends here and in other parts of the former Soviet Union -- and how different it is from the days of the Cold War in the 70s -- and how amazingly different than even 11 years ago. Democracy and capitalism do seem to be spreading, though in certain places the transitions have brought a great deal of suffering. In the midst of our Civil War -- in his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln mused about the fragility of the "nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
We take that idea for granted but it still is really revolutionary in many places of the world where caste or class systems insist that it is not true. And even in our land we struggle with our freedoms and the responsibilities to others that come with them. I think it is a universal principle that the good people do has opposition to it -- and human endeavor and interaction is complicated, of course.
Since I studied at a seminary in Washington, DC, and am prone to talk about faith a lot in my line of work -- I know better than a lot of people how true that old saw about how dangerous it is to bring up both politics and religion in conversation. There are no other topics more likely to cause arguments. Very few people have no opinion about one or the other, and it is amazing how often you can find your own opinions and beliefs opposed to those of even close friends.
During my years in Washington, it was very seldom that anyone got into political discussions if you wanted to stay friends with people. If you did happen to know the political persuasions of someone due to the fact of the position they held in a particular administration, or their outspokenness on some issue, it was usually just more "politically correct" (sorry) not to get into it if you disagreed with them. On the other hand, while living on the campus of Wesley Seminary I found myself involved in religious discussions almost all the time. There were students form many other denominations and all across the whole Methodist spectrum as well. But of course, off campus it still wasn't good practice to get into arguments about religious doctrine and beliefs.
Once out in ministry I found myself in an homogenous environment where there were so many "givens" that there weren't many discussions unless something in a sermon tweaked comment or questions. But here overseas there are people from different denominational backgrounds and countries, fairly new local believers on fire for the Lord, and the majority who have very different beliefs and practices. And I have found that there is a difference between talking about religion and talking about your faith.
To me it is similar to trying to explain what it means to be a citizen of your nation. No one else can really "get it" -- because each nation is very different. And the story of each person's faith is very individual and specific to the person. People can agree or disagree about doctrine or beliefs, but no one can really challenge what you have experienced yourself. Or if they do, they really shouldn't because each person has his or her own relationship with God, and that should be respected.
So as I was missing my country and its celebrations today -- and even yearning a bit to see Old Glory painting the sky -- long may She wave . . . I was also thinking about my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven and the characteristics of it. I grew up telling people I could do what I wanted to -- "It's a free country!" But it took years to learn about the responsibilities that come with our rights.
Freedom in Jesus Christ is very different from the liberty proclaimed by our forbears and challenged and fought for over and over. Being part of the Kingdom of Heaven has a very different focus than the goals of any political entity -- even one that states that it is "under God". That is true of every nation whether they would acknowledge it or not. The Lord is sovereign and nothing happens without God's knowledge.
The Lord reigns, though reading the headlines or a history book sometimes makes you wonder if it is true. When I was looking after the kids at conference we taught them a song that goes, "Jesus is the mighty, mighty king, God made Him the Boss of everything," and a two year old couldn't get enough of it and wanted us to sing it over and over. Yesterday the same sentiments were part of a praise song we sang in Russian, but I couldn't get over the word in Russian for "king". It was "Tsar", of course. Here in this place where for 70 years God was denied people are proclaiming Him the Tsar of all and rejoicing that the Kingdom of Heaven is indeed among them.
God is so amazing and so good. No matter how wonderful our human political institutions can be, they can't hold a candle to His Kingdom. Because of our dedication to separation of church and state we have gone down a long road that diverges from the freedom in Jesus Christ, often believing that our rights and freedoms are more precious than all that He offers and requires.
But relax. God's in charge. *smile*
The story is told that once a woman asked Abraham Lincoln how he knew for sure that God was on his side as the war went on. He replied to her that he didn't think of it that way, but only worked hard to make sure that He was on God's side. We face a lot of trouble in the world today -- nothing new . . . just different manifestations of the age old struggles. So my prayer today is that we as a nation strive to do as Lincoln did in working to be on god's side, with His help. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Happy 4th of July!
Because I had my babies while I was still a college student, I was never able to go on one of those exchanges, so getting the chance to visit my old friends 16 years after we had met during the days of Detente so much earlier was very special to me. Now already it has been 11 years since I saw them, and we have been less in touch than we had been during the previous 16 years. But here I am again overseas on the 4th -- and it's made me feel more homesick than anything else has since I've been here.
When I was little growing up in Tower Lakes, Illinois, we had such a completely down-home American 4th celebration it almost seems like a caricature when I tell of it. The day started with a flag ceremony and then the children had a bicycle parade over the asphalt roads covered with tar and white stones. We covered our bikes with amazing variations of red, white and blue crepe paper, streamers and American flags. After the parade there was a Father-Son Baseball Game and then people went home for lunch. Many people had friends and relatives visiting and the smoke of grills rose with delicious-smelling odors all over our community nestled around some small lakes.
It was the early 60s and there were perhaps 80 houses in all. There are many more residents these days, but the charm of the place is still evident and perhaps they have even kept the traditions. In the early afternoon on Rest Island -- connected to the "mainland" by a stately wooden bridge and to Beach Island by a fanciful suspension bridge complete with steel cables -- there were games of all sorts -- egg tosses, three legged races, foot races, egg-in-the-spoon races, and water balloon tosses among others. In the lake around the islands there were rowboat races, sailboat races and canoe races. The ultimate contest was a tug of war where one team held the thick rope while standing on a small island called Boat Island that had a very small channel between it and the mainland. The other team grabbed the rope up on the mainland. Competition was fierce and the Dads and big kids took part, leaving the little kids to be the anchors of the rope. This was because the first several members of the losing team always ended up in the drink -- and mud which was thick and deeper than the water in the little channel.
We all went home or to the beach to swim some more after that. And the evening cookout smells exceeded those of the noontime. Our family often had visitors from the city -- our relatives and friends and my mom always had all the wonderful and traditional picnic foods prepared in addition to whatever the visitors may have brought. There were jellos and salads of all kinds -- macaroni with shrimp, potato salad, green salad and sometimes cole slaw. My Dad is the greatest barbecued chicken cook in the world and his chicken is famous in our family. There were also hot dogs and hamburgers, and ice cream and cake for dessert.
Dinner was barely over when we started planning our strategy to find the best place on Rest Island to watch the fireworks. Out little community had what was called the Tower Lakes Improvement Association and he residents governed themselves and planned for things like making sure the roads were cleaned of snow all winter and that there were fireworks set off from the far side of the lake across from Beach Island and Rest Island. Although it is possible the whole community did not come to the islands since some folks could see the fireworks from their backyards, there were people wall-to-wall . . . or shore-to-shore on both Rest Island and Beach Island as the sun began to set.
An atmosphere of joy and celebration sustained by the long day of friendly revelry came to fulfillment as the last light of the sun disappeared so that it became dark enough for the fireworks. Now since that time I have been in several places where I have seen much more spectacular fireworks. We saw them every night we were at Walt Disney World when my kids were little. And of course the Bi-Centennial fireworks could hardly have been improved on. In addition, during the years I have lived in DC I had seen gorgeous fireworks with the background of the stately and sentimental monuments, listening to patriotic and entertaining music by the National Symphony Orchestra from the lawn near the western steps of the Capitol.
But my favorite fireworks will always be those of my childhood in Tower Lakes. Our collective "oohs" and "ahs" still evoke in my memory the peace and joy and thrill of celebrating our nation under God and all of the ideals and promises embodied in our existence.
As I wrote earlier, I am really feeling homesick today. But I was just reflecting on my friends here and in other parts of the former Soviet Union -- and how different it is from the days of the Cold War in the 70s -- and how amazingly different than even 11 years ago. Democracy and capitalism do seem to be spreading, though in certain places the transitions have brought a great deal of suffering. In the midst of our Civil War -- in his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln mused about the fragility of the "nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
We take that idea for granted but it still is really revolutionary in many places of the world where caste or class systems insist that it is not true. And even in our land we struggle with our freedoms and the responsibilities to others that come with them. I think it is a universal principle that the good people do has opposition to it -- and human endeavor and interaction is complicated, of course.
Since I studied at a seminary in Washington, DC, and am prone to talk about faith a lot in my line of work -- I know better than a lot of people how true that old saw about how dangerous it is to bring up both politics and religion in conversation. There are no other topics more likely to cause arguments. Very few people have no opinion about one or the other, and it is amazing how often you can find your own opinions and beliefs opposed to those of even close friends.
During my years in Washington, it was very seldom that anyone got into political discussions if you wanted to stay friends with people. If you did happen to know the political persuasions of someone due to the fact of the position they held in a particular administration, or their outspokenness on some issue, it was usually just more "politically correct" (sorry) not to get into it if you disagreed with them. On the other hand, while living on the campus of Wesley Seminary I found myself involved in religious discussions almost all the time. There were students form many other denominations and all across the whole Methodist spectrum as well. But of course, off campus it still wasn't good practice to get into arguments about religious doctrine and beliefs.
Once out in ministry I found myself in an homogenous environment where there were so many "givens" that there weren't many discussions unless something in a sermon tweaked comment or questions. But here overseas there are people from different denominational backgrounds and countries, fairly new local believers on fire for the Lord, and the majority who have very different beliefs and practices. And I have found that there is a difference between talking about religion and talking about your faith.
To me it is similar to trying to explain what it means to be a citizen of your nation. No one else can really "get it" -- because each nation is very different. And the story of each person's faith is very individual and specific to the person. People can agree or disagree about doctrine or beliefs, but no one can really challenge what you have experienced yourself. Or if they do, they really shouldn't because each person has his or her own relationship with God, and that should be respected.
So as I was missing my country and its celebrations today -- and even yearning a bit to see Old Glory painting the sky -- long may She wave . . . I was also thinking about my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven and the characteristics of it. I grew up telling people I could do what I wanted to -- "It's a free country!" But it took years to learn about the responsibilities that come with our rights.
Freedom in Jesus Christ is very different from the liberty proclaimed by our forbears and challenged and fought for over and over. Being part of the Kingdom of Heaven has a very different focus than the goals of any political entity -- even one that states that it is "under God". That is true of every nation whether they would acknowledge it or not. The Lord is sovereign and nothing happens without God's knowledge.
The Lord reigns, though reading the headlines or a history book sometimes makes you wonder if it is true. When I was looking after the kids at conference we taught them a song that goes, "Jesus is the mighty, mighty king, God made Him the Boss of everything," and a two year old couldn't get enough of it and wanted us to sing it over and over. Yesterday the same sentiments were part of a praise song we sang in Russian, but I couldn't get over the word in Russian for "king". It was "Tsar", of course. Here in this place where for 70 years God was denied people are proclaiming Him the Tsar of all and rejoicing that the Kingdom of Heaven is indeed among them.
God is so amazing and so good. No matter how wonderful our human political institutions can be, they can't hold a candle to His Kingdom. Because of our dedication to separation of church and state we have gone down a long road that diverges from the freedom in Jesus Christ, often believing that our rights and freedoms are more precious than all that He offers and requires.
But relax. God's in charge. *smile*
The story is told that once a woman asked Abraham Lincoln how he knew for sure that God was on his side as the war went on. He replied to her that he didn't think of it that way, but only worked hard to make sure that He was on God's side. We face a lot of trouble in the world today -- nothing new . . . just different manifestations of the age old struggles. So my prayer today is that we as a nation strive to do as Lincoln did in working to be on god's side, with His help. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Happy 4th of July!
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