As we approach the 4th of July, we are living through a crisis in the Republic. And I want to look at the moral issues that face our nation and what Christians can do. This is one of those Sundays where you may be surprised by the message, but you won’t fall asleep. The seventh resignation of a senior official in the Justice Department this week is the 7th resignation in 7 weeks tells us that the rule of law in America is at risk. The best explanation that I can think of is that something terribly illegal has already occurred and people are trying to make distance before its known.
Our nation has at times expressed its aspirations in ways that are profoundly Biblical. These are precious words, made hollow by this president and administration.
Different people react differently. Robert Byrd, longest serving member of the Senate, is possibly the person in America most in love with the Constitution and one of the most determined to defend it. He is 89 years old. He is determined to stay on the job until his body gives out. I like his attitude. ‘His hands shaking noticeably, Byrd acknowledged that his recent signature on a document, published in some newspapers, "looks like I signed it in a moving car." "It is annoying," he said, "but hardly evidence that I am at death's door." If you are alive, either five years old or 105 – if you should survive to 105, look at all you’ll derive out of staying alive’
The Bible encourages us that there are far more people ready to work for justice than we may believe. When Elijah despairs over the power of Jezebel, runs from her and asks the Lord to take his life, God comforts him that there are 7,000 faithful people that Elijah has never even heard of.
The wonderful thing about the gospel is that it brings hope to a war weary world. The gospel brings light where people were languishing in darkness. And even to Supreme Courts who this week reintroduced racism, the Bible has ways to recover justice. The good news of the gospel refuses to admit defeat.
So we are going to look at a famous prayer from the Old Testament today and pray it for our nation and for the work and witness of Christians here and throughout the world. My prayer is that we each leave ready to do one action this week to turn our nation into a place where there is liberty and justice for all.
Recently there was an article that the United States has started to tip away from religion. The trend started in the early 90’s but was first noticed in research in 2002 and now a study has been produced about the data.
There are different groups of people. There are people who are deeply committed to Christ. My faith and sense that God is my strength and shield only gets stronger as I grow older. I don’t know what would shake those feelings and I can’t imagine the feelings of disempowerment of not sensing that God is there at all moments for me. I accept that you may feel differently – I'm just telling how it is for me day by day. I don’t just preach about faith for a job. If you didn’t pay me, I’d still have these deep feelings of God’s protection and support. When I have a hard moment, I actually have the practice of loading Christian songs onto my ipod and just blocking out everything else, surrounding myself with thoughts of God.
There is a group of people who are not sure what they think of God. I’m sure I'm speaking to someone here. You come once or twice a year because you don’t want to be disconnected. You are still trying to figure it all out spiritually. James Ward wrote a song about this. ‘I’ve never really trusted you, when I was just a child. As long as you knew my mother, I just bowed my head and smiled. ‘
This is the group that is deciding to leave more than the church. They are concluding that God does not exist. It is ironic that the church in the United States has developed a host of resources to spread the gospel, won more access on broadcast channels and got more preference from the federal government in the last 5 years and has managed to convince more people that God doesn’t exist.
Why are people leaving? They see the church as a place of hate which is not concerned about issues of justice that affect their lives. They see the church as about two issues, homosexuality and abortion, unloving to those with different opinions and uncaring about war, torture, rule of law and racial tolerance. It is no accident that the most racially polarized hour of the week in the United States is Sunday morning at 11. We sometimes forget that the Community Church experience of a diverse group of people gathered to support each other and travel together towards heaven is not what 99% of American Christians experience this morning.
The Supreme Court this week allowed that concern about equal education, regardless of the color of your skin is possible, but you can’t count to see whether you’ve accomplished it. This is just evil enshrined in law. There was no outcry of Christians. These are moral decisions that the nation is making and Christians are seen as indifferent and often the chief supporters of such quackery.
Only 26% of the people of that nation now think that President Bush is a good president and only 23% want the war keep the surge. This has been the deadliest 4 month, 5 month and six month period of the war for Americans. Fatalities and crippling physical and emotional injuries are coming home to every community even if the White House bans pictures. Consider if you are one of those families and the local church is having a Vacation Bible School with the theme, God’s Army. This is happening this summer. If Christians are determined to be part of the 26% and the 23%, then Americans are saying that God doesn’t exist.
So I want us to pray the Prayer of Jabez for America. We need to do some patriotic and practical things to be like the widow and the unjust judge. People need to see us active and concerned.
Jabez teaches us to pray, “Oh, Lord, bless the church at its moments of justice.” We wrestle with God in prayer like Jacob, who after wrestling with God all night boldly told Him, “I will not let you God unless you bless me.” However, departing at this point from Jacob, “we never want to let Him go.”
The church is not totally off track. New concern for the environment has split the evangelical church and some are getting it. The United Methodist Church has many resources to help us in praying for God’s heart for America and our own role. Pray every day that the justice and compassionate heart of God will be revealed by the church as the nation watches.
God wants to bless the Church, to help all congregations who are disciples of integrity, by enlarging their territory.” In
Jabez’s case enlarging his territory meant God increased the amount of land he owned. The Church that asks God to “enlarge our territory” is praying for extended outreach and influence among the people in their
neighborhood and community. In asking the Lord to increase our territory, we are asking Him to empower us to have a dynamic witness for Jesus that will bring the people who need hope into the Kingdom.
Community Church does things
in our community that I believe matter to people. We had a table at the gay parade in June. We invited families of the school for graduation in June. We will have blessing for Summer School in August, concert for families in September, --
about 10 major events per year. We are asking the Lord to increase our territory by taking on gang violence. This is the anniversary of the murder of Genesis Regalado. I do not want to see another child murdered in this neighborhood by a
gang. I was counting gang signs over the last two days as I walked around Jackson Heights. They are on 82nd Street. They are on the stairs at the gym where I worked out yesterday.
I wish someone in our church would organize prayer partners so that each of our outreach efforts was backed by the Prayer of Jabez. We already have the practical tools to offer hope in our neighborhood, but they need to be supported by the Prayer of Jabez. O God, bless our witness. O God, increase our territory. We need to pray for families of violent youth and support them in prayer. We need to pray for families of the school and support them in prayer. We need to pray for the people each week in Jackson Heights who give up on belief in God and ask God to make our church part of the answer.
At Lakeview Church. During Sunday worship two prayer partners remained in the pastor’s study praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon the service. They followed the order of worship in the bulletin and prayed over every act of worship as it was taking place.
Even this morning, God has appointments with people here. God hopes to change your life before you leave. We need the power of the risen Christ in this service, to make the invitation to you so strong that you will let go and let God.
And we need to offer one act of patriotic witness this week to God and ask that God will bless and use all those in government who seek justice and expand their territory.
If you have internet access, its so easy to write to a member of Congress. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Bush, and Joe Crowley all hear from me regularly on the war. And I always try to show how my view is based on my faith in God.
We are heading into a tumultuous year starting this July 4th. The only way that I know America will fail is if we do
nothing. The silence of the righteous allows the voice of evil to be heard. I think God is calling us to gospel obedience. And even if the government does not seem to hear, I believe military families will hear, families who’s kids
are about to denied equal education will hear, and the immigrant will hear. Someone who was going to give up on God will hear. And that is worth it all. God bless you, God bless the world. And God bless America.
