In his biography of Abraham Lincoln, And There Was Light, Jon Meacham observes: “[T]oLincoln the duty of the leader and of the citizen was neither to despair nor to seek solace and security with the merely strong, but to discern and to pursue the right.” That statement well summarizes our responsibility not only as citizens of our nation but also as disciples of Jesus Christ. The right we are called to discern and pursue is what is right in God’s eyes, not that of any person, president, or political party. It is the right proclaimed by the prophet Micah: Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God. It is the right characterized by the fruit of the Spirit that will form the basis for our sermon series this summer: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” It is the right exemplified in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ who calls us to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is the right that insists we welcome the stranger and refugee, minister to the poor, and seek justice for the oppressed. It is the right that disdains power and wealth (“Woe to you,” says Jesus, in Luke’s version of the beatitudes) and values humility, generosity, and grace.
With our nation’s Independence Day celebration approaching and the nation’s attention focused on wars with Israel in Iran and Gaza and a budget bill making its way through Congress, it is an opportune time to consider whether we as a nation are doing right in God’s eyes. Are we doing enough to address the carnage in Gaza where over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and where supplies of essential food, clean water, and medical supplies have been disrupted?
Are we doing enough to seek peace in the region, or is our bombing of the facilities in Iran and floating the idea of regime change (as the president did) inflaming the conflict? Does the budget bill address the needs of the poor, or is it cutting taxes for the rich while cutting Medicaid and services for the poor? Are we living within our means, as a nation and as individuals, or are we mortgaging our children’s futures? Are we living into the values of justice, mercy, and concern for the poor and suffering that the prophets and Jesus articulated, or are we embracing practices and policies that reflect a more selfish, nationalistic ideal? Are we seeking to discern and pursue the right in God’s eyes or are we falling short? Are we washing our hands of the problems or despairing at the direction we are going, or are we daring to stand for what we believe faith and faithfulness demand? Lincoln suggests that our duty as citizens is to discern and pursue the right; that right for us as Christians is the path Jesus showed us, the path he calls us to follow. On this anniversary of our declaration of independence, may we dare to follow that path – his path – individually and together!
— John Peterson
