Submitted by Pastor David Wynn, Tarkio Christian Church

A few years ago on the 4th of July an enterprising news reporter in Madison, Wisconsin, handed a slip of paper to 122 people on the streets of Madison. He asked them their opinion of the words written on it. These were the words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is right of the people to alter or abolish it.”

Well, some of the folks said that they thought it was very radical, much too radical. Some said it was silly idealism. Quite a few said that it was probably written by some communist. Others thought it was the work of some counterculture group. There were only 13 out of 122 people who recognized it as part of the Declaration of Independence.

Now, think about those words for just a second . . . “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

All men, but what about women? What about children? What about our black and Hispanic brothers and sisters? What about our Native Americans, who were here before us?

And how about this can of worms . . . “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is right of the people to alter or abolish it.”

Whoa . . . That sounds something like what our previous president might have said. Or what was going through the minds of many Americans storming the Capitol on January 6th. Only in America do we use the word “politics” to describe the process so well: “Poli” in Latin meaning “many” and “tics” meaning “blood-sucking creatures.” Well, maybe I’m being a little too harsh on politicians . . . Naaw!

The Hymnal Revision Committee of the United Methodist Church was preparing for their 1988 General Conference. This Conference would introduce a new hymnal for United Methodists. The committee was struggling over the words found in “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” They were struggling over the phrase, “As He died to make men holy, let us DIE to make men free.”

They questioned, “Is freedom for others worth dying for?” An alternative phrase was decided upon: “As He died to make men holy, let us LIVE to make men free.” Perhaps that is for the best. I say that, even though living for a good cause is sometimes more difficult than dying for it. But the original words cause us to ask, “Is there anything in my life which I value so much that I would die for it?”

We love our country, but none of us believes it is perfect. And when America is in the wrong, we need to speak up. Indeed, not to speak out against wrong would be a lack of patriotism. To be patriotic is to appreciate the sacrifice of our forefathers and foremothers who wanted this nation to be extraordinary. Many of them gave their lives that we might be free as a people, just as many people gave their lives that we might have our Christian faith.

Now it is our turn to maintain and to improve what they have passed on to us. How shall we do that? How shall we maintain and improve that which we have been given? First of all, we need to remember where we came from. Controversial words here, once again: Most Americans are descendants of those “huddled masses yearning to be free” that Emma Lazarus wrote about several generations ago. Her words are inscribed on our Statue of Liberty that stands proudly in the harbor of New York City to welcome millions of immigrants to America.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Who can read those words without being reminded of the words that grace our Statue of Liberty? “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Except for our Native American friends, we are a nation of immigrants. We trace our ancestry back to many kinds of people in many different lands. Maybe that is why it is our tradition as a nation to welcome the stranger with kindness and compassion. There are some in our land who would change all that. They would turn us into a fortress. That’s understandable in light of the events of September 11th and all that has followed. Still, we need to be mindful of our history. We will maintain and improve that which has been handed to us, first of all, when we remember where we came from, and what we stand for. We are a people whose existence depends upon our sacred documents. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.

As Christians we would add another sacred document – the Bible – for every principle we hold dear as Americans was first established in God’s Word.

The words on the Statue of Liberty remind us where we came from. The words in our sacred documents tell us what we stand for. This land is ours today because men and women have given their life’s blood in our behalf. There are many men and women in this generation and in each generation over the past 246 years who have literally been willing to lay down their lives for this country. And we owe them a great debt. Part of what kept these men going was their faith in God.

This is the stuff of which our commitment as Americans to freedom, justice, and equality is made. Our faith helps us live out our commitment to freedom.

As we reflect on the meaning of Independence Day, we thank God and we thank those dedicated persons who made it possible and still continue to make it possible for us to worship in freedom this day.

And we are thankful that on our Statue of Liberty we still read those words that remind us of the words of Jesus: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . .”

God bless America.