It was the Sunday after the Fourth of July and the church was packed today. I couldn’t help but smile because in these days of dwindling enrolment in parishes all over the country, all of these people took the time out from celebrating with families and friends, to celebrate their relationship with their lord. So often we feel that God has been left in the dust when it comes to our busy lives but not the way I saw it that day.
At the end of the service we always sing a closing hymn. So often we see the ones who break for the doors and a hasty retreat during this time but today not so much, and I think it was the choice of hymn that stopped them in their tracks. It was “God Bless America.” It’s a short song for sure but a meaningful one and I could see lips moving and people who never sing anytime, anywhere, drawn by some patriotic fervor taking part. “Separation of church and state,” they were saying, “be damned.” I love my faith and, yes, I love my country.
There is no way we can refute the relationship that existed when this country was formed between God and country. It was mentioned in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and even our currency and it needs to stay that way. When attempts to sever this relationship happen, as has happened, we are cutting off our nose to spite our face. We have passed tens of thousands of laws in this country since its inception, many of them meaningless and spiteful. The only laws we really need are as old as the beginning of this faith filled journey. Love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
Mike Holst
Crosslake
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