July 2026
Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” – Matthew 22:21
Grace and peace to you all! I hope that this finds you well and in the festive spirit!
This year is a special year in our country’s history, and it is appropriate that we celebrate this momentous anniversary. 250 years have passed since the founders set down the words to which we aspire: that “all [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Recognizing these rights is noble and necessary for the proper dispensation of equity and justice and is essential for living a righteous life. We hear the call for equality in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
That we have not always – and indeed, rarely – lived up to the ideals upon which our nation was founded cannot be disputed through any logical argument. From our country’s inception, there were persons within these very shores who were seen as lesser and denied these unalienable rights: native peoples who were systematically pushed out and killed so those who immigrated here from Europe could have their lands; enslaved peoples brought to this continent to live out their days not as persons, but as property; and women who were prevented from living with the same rights and opportunities as men. None of these groups were afforded the rights presented in the Declaration of Independence; it would take years, effort, and too often the shedding of blood for any of these groups to be recognized as fully human with capabilities and aspirations of their own.
This work is not done; it is still in progress even now, and it is work that calls to us as Christians. We are called by Christ not to give all things to Caesar – that is, not to give all things to the state – but to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. In many ways our nation deserves praise – the strides we have made in governance of the people, by the people, for the people; the advances in civil rights through the ages; the scientific breakthroughs that we have produced – but to offer nothing but praise for a nation gives everything to Caesar, not just what is Caesar’s. To do so is not patriotic, but nationalistic. It views the nation-state as without blemish, ascribing to it what should only be ascribed to God.
To be truly patriotic, one must offer the praise that is due, but also offer the criticism that is warranted. A true patriot does not see the country as perfect, but instead seeks its perfection. A true patriot views the current actions and weighs them against the ideals of the nation, especially when the nation’s actions seek to undo its own progress. A true patriot seeks redress for the wounded and strives to move the nation forward to greater heights, never backward to a time when our nation was less true to its ideals than is is now.
For the Christian patriot, we are called to this work – speaking truth to power and seeking equity in our nation – by the scriptures itself. The demands of righteousness are placed upon us to offer to God the things that are God’s: our truest allegiance and moral integrity. We are called to speak out when our nation acts against those we are called to serve: the poor; the sick; the widow, orphan, and immigrant stranger. To do so is not un-American; it is patriotic in the truest sense, wanting our country to be better and act with the ideals we claim to hold. To do so is to follow the will of God as spoken by the prophet Micah, for “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
As we approach this historic anniversary, I am offering blessings: God bless the United States of America, the world, and you all, so that we may strive toward equity, justice, and peace for all people. Amen.
– Pastor Rob