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Creekside Church
Sermon of February
16, 2003
"Beyond Patriotism"
Romans
12
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Rev. Dave
Eis
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While
U.S. is on the brink of war it is not popular to be a peacemaker
in most circles. It is considered unpatriotic. To support
a non-violent approach to our enemies whether it is Iraq,
North Korea or Al Qieda, brings into question your loyalty
to our government and to the flag of the USA.
It is
my observation that people have an innate loyalty to the
land where they were born. Even when governments behave
badly and oppress their people there is a tendency to want
to defend one's homeland. I too find joy in singing America
the Beautiful and God Bless America. I also learned that
song when I was in the primary class at Sunday School, "Jesus
loves the little children, All the Children of the World."
I am
so grateful that I have the freedom to worship as I please
and to speak openly about the issues that may be critical
of my government. It is a freedom that we must exercise
or run the risk of losing it. Let me say with as much clarity
as I can muster, "Our current posture as it relates
to war is wrong and morally bankrupt. I believe that to
enter an all out war against Iraq, as a pre-emptive strategy
will set a precedent that endangers the world for decades
to come. The war will provide an excuse for the expansion
of terrorism that will increase our homeland insecurity
rather than homeland security. I believe that violence will
give birth to more violence and align nations in ways that
we can only imagine now."
But
what are we to do when our government wants to lead us in
a direction that our Christian conscience does not want
to go? How can we enter into an intelligent conversation
without being branded as traitors, self-loathing Americans,
or soft on democracy? We hear the words "moral clarity"
but it sounds more like moral arrogance and it must not
be met with moral silence. Edmund Burke has said, "To
make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely."
Our country is lovely, which is why we love it and are willing
to serve it and, if necessary to die for it. It is because
we love it that we dare to speak to affirm the goodness
and righteousness in it, the virtue and the power of its
core values and to speak against the things that would do
harm to it and to those core values. What has always been
lovely about our country is our right and duty to dissent
from their policies if we think them to be wrong, and to
hold our alternative vision to be as fully valid as theirs.
It was
a step towards maturity when I realized that it is possible
for an intelligent person to have a different opinion than
mine and still be a good person. It was a further step towards
maturity when I realized the possibility that they may be
right. With such an attitude I became more able to hear
the other person and affirm them in their beliefs and sometimes
they become more ready to listen to my views. If a person
has prayed and studied the scriptures and sought the guidance
of the Holy Spirit and has come up with a view different
than mine I have respect for their opinion even if I disagree
with their conclusion. However, if you have landed on the
side of violence and force on the basis of greed, arrogance
and bravado, you need to revisit the Scriptures to prayerfully
consider the nature of God and the message of Jesus. Being
a Christian and an American requires more than patriotism.
"Let
not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man
boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."
God
has told us in Jeremiah 9:23-24 what he delights in. Therefore
any worldview that we take must include kindness, justice
and righteousness.
Furthermore,
when it comes to the life and example of Jesus, we find
that when physical harm was being inflicted he did not resort
to violence as a way of dealing with his enemies. His example
is he was willing to suffer infliction rather than impose
any kind of violence. One of the strongest arguments of
the military mindset is shoot or be shot, kill or be killed.
That logic falls short when compared to the example of Jesus.
The
twelfth Chapter of Romans sets another high water mark for
how we are to relate to our enemies. Listen to how J.B.
Phillips translates those first two verses.
"With
eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, as an
act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies as
a living sacrifice consecrated to him. Don't let the world
around you squeeze you into its own mold."
Paul
encourages us to fully engage our minds. Don't allow false
piety or fake devotion to direct your thinking but allow
your whole body and mind be consecrated to God in a manner
that does not allow the world to dictate your thinking and
lifestyle.
Paul
goes on to say, "Let God remold your minds from within,
so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God
for you is good, meets all of its demands, and moves toward
the goal of true maturity"
Think
about the call to nonconformity. Think about the call to
transformation. The tension between what our government
calls us to do and following a Christian conscience will
not go away. It is something that we must all resolve.
Polls
tell us that the majority of adult citizens favor some kind
of preemptive strike against Iraq. Polls do not always tell
us where we ought to be but where we are. Do you remember
the Viet War in the sixties? At the beginning the majority
of Americans thought we needed to stop the spread of communism.
There were a few who disagreed that it was a justification
for war. A few years later the small minority became the
majority after thousands of men and women were killed.
In London
there is a statue of a Nurse named Edith Cavell. She was
raised a Christian during the First World War. She assisted
soldiers in their flight to the neutral country of Holland.
She was shot as a traitor. An eyewitness describes that
event,
"After
receiving the sacrament and within minutes of being led
out to her death, she said 'Standing as I do in view of
God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough.
I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone."
The
words inscribed on the statue that was erected in London
in her honor reads as follows, "Patriotism is not enough."
As we
stand before God and eternity can we say that patriotism
is enough? Years ago Bob Dole and George McGovern co-sponsored
a bill that established a goal of providing one square meal
per day for every man, woman or child that is hungry in
the world. If that policy were pursued developing a coalition
of freedom loving, industrialized nations it would be rather
difficult for a bearded crazy man to go into the mountains
and deserts recruiting people to try to destroy the people
in the United States or Great Britain.
We do
not need educational degrees in order to have an opinion
about the moral future of our country. The same moral laws
that worked hundreds of years ago still are operative.
1.
When we commit violence it breeds more violence
2. When we go to war, even if we win, the seeds of hatred
are planted for the next generation.
The
principle of peacemaking is to overcome evil with good.
1.
If your enemy is hungry-feed him
2. If he is thirsty-give him a drink
Christians
are to take the offensive and overcome evil with good. Wouldn't
that be a radical foreign policy.
If we
truly want to be on God's side rather than try to shape
God into our own little political ally, we would do well
to remember the words at the top of our bulletin. God's
values are clear; just as our values ought to be clear.
If you
love the Lord you will love the things the Lord loves, kindness,
justice, and steadfast righteousness.
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