meditatio at the water's edge

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:18-21)

Today, as flags wave and fireworks blast to celebrate the independence of this land, we gather together as citizens of another realm. And so we must ask ourselves this morning, What does it mean to live as a citizen of heaven in America? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus in this country?

Today, as we celebrate the independence of our country, we must firmly state that we are Americans second, and students, apprentices, and disciples of Jesus first and above all else. We have only one non-contingent allegiance, to the Creator—all other allegiances, professed or otherwise, are, and must remain, contingent upon that.

Further, we must declare that we are citizens of heaven, first and above all other citizenship. To declare this is not to hate this or any other nation, but to love all peoples and desire good for all nations.

It is to say that we have been de-nationalized for we find every human being to be our brothers and sisters and fellow countrymen.

It is to say that we desire God to bring healing and blessing to America as well as Mogadishu, Somalia; Astana, Kazakhstan; Karbala, Iraq; Port au Prince, Haiti; and Darfur, Sudan.

It is to say that the hopes and dreams and rights and liberties of Americans are no more important to us than those of all people of all nations—that we desire all peoples to have a future and a hope, and to live under the shalom of God.

It is to say that we long to see the world as it one day will be: a place with no borders, no security fences, no hatred or violence against our fellow human beings, for “for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea,” and “No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD ,' because they will all know [God], from the least of them to the greatest.”

It is to say that the value of the life of an American is no greater or less than that of a Somali, an Afgan, or an Iraqi. We love all men and women equally for “there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Paul’s words to a small group of Jesus’ disciples in the Roman colony of Philippi challenged the claims of Caesar and his Rome upon the peoples of the Roman Empire. They echo through the centuries to call all disciples of Jesus to worship no nation or ruler, but to live to announce the coming kingdom of God that all nations and rulers and all people might enter into and receive it.