In his poem Let America Be America Again, Langston Hughes describes the complexity of what “America” continuously promises and promotes itself to be, even in the face of its continual failure to meet that promise. “America was never America to me” he mumbles between stanzas. (Beneath that, we might even hear the echoes of our Indigenous siblings speak of Turtle Island.) As Christians, what do we do with a holiday like the 4th of July? Some would conflate their faith with a flag, while others might sidestep the whole debate by choosing to focus on the cookouts and fireworks. Allow me to suggest another way: How might we take the freedom for which many fought, and from which we benefit, and use it to increase the freedom and wholeness of life among those who must, even these years later, continue to mumble their truths between and beneath the promises which we celebrate? How might we, citizens of heaven, express that citizenship here on earth? This Sunday, we have an opportunity to do just that, through our Service + Fellowship Sunday. We will come together as community in worship through service in two ways:
1. Disco Trash Pick Up through Manny’s in the Mission
2. Packing backpacks for kids at the City Church Office in the Richmond
Please be sure to sign up ahead of time! If you are out of town, I encourage you to consider how you can be of service where you are. Independence Day can be about more than independence; it can be about liberation–and the conscious commitment to building a world that reflects God’s promise of true freedom for us all.
Faithfully,
Pastor Emily
COMMUNITY MISCELLANY
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