Liberty and Justice for All?

This weekend we celebrated America's birthday. And I'm all for grilling up some burgers, pulling out your red, white, and blue clothes (even matching them together when you wouldn't normally), and gathering at the neighborhood pool party. It is a time to remember the sacrifices made by those who came before us so we could live in a free country and a celebration of that freedom today. But have we misinterpreted freedom in light of who we are called to be? 

Yesterday, I watched Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Despite being absolutely disturbed by how gross it must be to eat over 50 hot dogs in under 10 minutes, I am also disturbed by the message sent by these kinds of displays. Could there be any more blatant symbol of our gluttony to the world than eating as much food as we can just because we can and calling it sport? People all over the world are starving and we make a mockery of it.  How is this ok? The evening was capped off with some fireworks. For those who know me, you know my issues with the immense waste of blowing up expensive explosives in the sky for enjoyment. But last night, my husband and I stood in our upstairs bedroom and watched out our window facing south (away from DC) at least 25 different fireworks shows. Has our freedom gone too far?

From the beginning of creation, God has set our lives in motion with purpose. We are to love God and love neighbor. We have a purpose to care for one another and to worship the God who made it all possible. Our very pledge of allegiance ends with the promise of liberty and justice for all. But do we really mean that?  Don't we really mean "liberty and justice for Americans"  or better yet, "liberty and justice for those who look and talk like me?" When I look at the way our country celebrates its independence, I wonder what the world thinks? I wonder if they roll their eyes like you would a spoiled child who doesn't know how to responsibly handle the wealth it has hoarded.  

Yes, we are free. Free to worship how we want, free to elect those who govern us, free to have an education, free to work where we want, free to buy food at the grocery store, free to choose our friends and our spouses. But we are not free from the responsibility of God's first commissioning - to care for the earth and one another. We are not free to live a life that harms another life. We are not free to exclude people from our circles. We are not free to live a life of over-indulgence that oppresses others.  I invite you to consider the ways in which we celebrate being American and the implications for our brothers and sisters who do not have the same freedoms.  I invite you to consider what a more faithful celebration might look like.

Comments

[An Apprentice of Jesus]

Jen,

I don't know that other nations do any better; what about Cinco de Mayo? Or is that an excuse to get drunk here and a real celebration of independence in Mexico?

I have often noticed how little connection our celebrations have to the supposed reason for them. "Memorial Day Weekend," for instance, is an excuse to head for the lake or cook out. How many people actually even think about the soldiers who have given their lives in our wars? Other than military families, of course, who are regularly disgusted by the rest of the population's lack of notice or respect.