"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal."

From the Pastor...

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”
So begins the declaration that was issued on July 4, 1776 to create our independent nation.  Each year, we celebrate this wonderful venture into freedom, and I must admit it has become one of my favorite holidays.
            I love the Independence Day because it is a summertime holiday, and I have grown to love warm, even hot weather, more than the dark cold of winter.  I love being outside, and swimming with my family, and barbecues.  Quite often my family and I celebrate July 4th in Montreat, NC, and there is nothing better than the July 4th parade in Montreat.  The Boy Scouts raise the American Flag.  Brass quintets play from the back of vintage pick up trucks.  Veterans march.

The Montreat Scottish Society leads the parade with dozens of bagpipers. And all children are invited to be a part of the parade. People place their chairs along the parade route the night before to get a seat for the event. The parade is followed by a huge barbecue, and later in the evening there is a square-dance in the “barn,” a large 100-year-old structure in the heart of that mountain community. Montreat’s Fourth of July celebration could be a Norman Rockwell painting.
I love the Fourth of July for all these reasons. But the main reason I love it is the statement, “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.” It is bold and revolutionary. It is a hope rooted in our hearts for which individuals have given their lives. It has always been and continues to be a work in progress, and it is a shining watchword representing what we will be when we are at our best. We are not there yet, but we are working to make it truer now than it ever has been.
This year we have the opportunity to spend the Fourth of July in worship together, and we will rightfully pause to thank God for all that is good about our nation and to pray that all of the broken places will be whole.
Spending some time in worship on Independence Day will give us time to pause and consider what this day is all about, especially for Christians. To consider freedom that is not simply “from” powers we seek to be independent from, but a freedom in Christ that is freedom to new life that God offers to each of us.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday in worship, invite a friend, and Happy Fourth of July!