July 4

Happy July 4th! Perhaps you will be grilling burgers, or going to a parade, or watching fireworks. Perhaps you will be away on vacation, or watching the Boston Pops on TV, or enjoying some peace and quiet. Whatever you will be doing, and wherever you will be, may the next few days offer you some joy.

July 4 is our nation's Independence Day, often a day to celebrate the ideals of our nation: freedom, equality, democracy, fairness. It seems more complicated to do that right now, what with the recent Supreme Court decisions and a nightmarish presidential race and Christian Nationalism becoming mainstream.

As James Baldwin wrote: “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” 

Perhaps that is our job as Christians, as well: to become well-versed in God's vision of a peaceable kingdom, a beloved community, and to name the gaps that we see. Where is there a need for justice? For health? For safety? For connection? And just as Jesus went to the places on the margins, we are called to those places in need of love. This Fourth of July, may we celebrate our nation, and remain committed to a world of greater liberty and justice for all.