Patriotic vibes
If you know me, you know that vibes are everything. Christmas vibes, winter vibes, summer vibes, beach vibes. I love that atmospheres can set off an emotion in my spirit. One particular vibe that is high on the list is that summer time, patriotic, 4th of July, “I love America” vibe. For me, this one ranks just behind Christmas vibes and just ahead of Hawaiian vibes. I am not sure if it is my love for American history or the symbolic unity that patriotism presents, but I love it.
I have often thought that this national love that I have is something that God has given. I even have wondered if God even cares about patriotism. So in my dreamy state of red, white, and blue covered picnic tables with the smell of fireworks and hotdogs, I am having a rude awakening to a culture in which I can no longer participate. So here is my confession: I am moving patriotic vibes down on my favorites list. Don’t get me wrong, I love my country and am not backing away from anything there. But I fear that, in some cases, we have elevated patriotism above Jesus. Here is what I mean.
In order for my relationship with Jesus to deepen and my impact on this earth to continue, I must resolve that Jesus never called me to fight to be the moral majority. I must fight the good fight and not a bad one. Let me give you examples of a few bad fights that it seems we have decided to take on instead of devoting our lives to the good fight.
We fight for the ten commandments to be in public forums but I have grown up in church and I rarely see them in any church on display.
We fight for the word “God” not to be removed from schools or public offices instead of living out the calling of God in our own lives.
We demand social justice that gives us the illusion of some sort of moral high ground without loving those individuals who need the social reform the most.
Don’t get me twisted. Abortion is still wrong, immigration in a revolutionary world is tough and we should honor all who serve in office or uniform. But seeking to reform institutions is not fighting the good fight. Living life as a “peculiar people” is the point. That is the Good News! The early church struggled with this as well, but their struggle wasn’t about keeping “one nation under God” in order for life to be easier. They faced a tyrant who imposed his will and worldview on them, and their struggle was to keep honoring and loving him. Look at how Peter encourages the church:
1 Peter 2 (esv)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Lobbying and using your platform to encourage people to follow Jesus and to live the life of freedom that He provides is of course healthy, but there must be love. Our first priority is to use the giftings of the Holy Spirit to love one another well and to love our communities as well. It is His job is to think strategically. It is His job is to place people in areas of influence based on how well they steward that first priority of love. Paul say this:
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Our standing together is the Good News, but don’t miss it. We are citizens of heaven and our lives should be so filled with hope that nations are changed. Our lives should so be wrapped in love that our desire for justice is for all people. The Church should be so united together around these things that the world can’t wait to see what we do next! So that is my new vibe! A peculiar, supernatural, God-focused people filled with a fiery faith and dripping with a holy love!