Title: CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM—AN OXYMORON?

Focus: Our relationship with Christ, the King, calls for American and all other Christians to engage in politics with biblical and spiritual discernment.

Function: To encourage the people to be politically engaged while centering our loyalties squarely with Christ’s kingship.

Text: Zechariah 9:9-12; Matthew 11:1-19

INTRODUCTION

“George W. Bush is not Lord. The Declaration of Independence is not an infallible guide to Christian faith and practice. Nor is the U.S. Constitution, nor the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights. ‘Original intent’ of America’s founders is not the hermeneutical key that will guarantee national righteousness. The American flag is not the Cross. The Pledge of Allegiance is not the Creed. ‘God Bless America’ is not the Doxology. Sometimes one needs to state the obvious—especially at times when it’s less and less obvious.” So begins the editorial of the latest issue of Christianity Today (July 2005, p. 22). Do I have your attention?

This weekend our nation celebrates Independence Day, during which we express gratitude for America’s freedom, democracy, and those who have served our country in uniform—in the past and in the present: veterans, fallen soldiers, those missing in action, and active service men and women. It’s a national weekend of parades, pick-nicks and fireworks. What will you and I as Americans be doing today and tomorrow?

I am asking because some of us are turned off by anything that smacks of politics. If you belong to that category of people, you probably have tuned me out already, thinking, “Here we go again! Does not the preacher know that politics and the pulpit do not go together?” Others here may think that Christian patriotism—a deep loyalty to one’s country, flag, and freedom is an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms. If you belong to that category of people, you probably are sighing and thinking, “Oh no, another preacher who belongs to the radical Christian right!”

As an American citizen by choice, and as a follower of Jesus Christ, let me show you my cards and political color. In light of the Scriptures, I declare with confidence that our relationship with Jesus Christ, the King, calls for American and all other Christians to engage in politics with biblical and spiritual discernment. Do I have your attention?

WHY POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT?

Moms and Dads, boys and girls, folks, I hope that you listen carefully today. Here’s why:

The state of politics in our nation underscores the need for serious reflection on our part. Our nation is at war. Our troops are in harms way; and our politicians are in a “tizzy.” Bickering Republicans and Democrats fuel the news media with coverage that antagonizes many citizens in America and that throws fuel on hatred and bigotry against anything American. Politically, we are a divided nation. That’s also true for us as citizens of the State of Minnesota. About 9000 people are laid off today because our elected officials could not find a way to approve a responsible and balanced budget for the next 12 months. Here’s another reason to bend our ears and respond to God’s Word today:

Christians are followers of Jesus Christ. And that means that we cannot escape politics. We say, for example, that Jesus is King. If words mean anything, you have to admit that singing “He is Lord, He is Lord,” is a political statement. So political and threatening is that statement today, that if you should make that statement in the halls of congress, the American Civil Liberties Union may come after you with a lawsuit. Yes, it’s correct to think of our worship this morning is a political act, reflected in such songs as “I Will Exalt My God, My King” and “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.”

Christians are followers of Christ, the King; we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven; we are baptized into the name and works and domain of our triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to Christians as “a holy nation,” as “ambassadors of Christ,” and as “aliens and strangers in the world.” Surely, if words mean anything, followers of Jesus must pay attention to these biblical and political statements. This is why I say, in light of the Scriptures, that our relationship with Christ, the King, calls for American and all other Christians to engage in politics with biblical and spiritual discernment.

SETTING THE STAGE

In 538 BC, Cyrus the king of Persia issued a decree, allowing Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of God. That political move had profound consequences for Israel. Joyfully, courageously, the exiles returned to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the temple and the city. But over time, their zeal for God diminished, and their attention focused not so much on the rebuilding of the temple and religious commitment, but on their own business affairs. Thus God raised up Zechariah.

Zechariah encouraged the people to finish building the temple, and to keep in mind God’s purpose and reign over them and all the nations of the world. In fact, Zechariah prophesied the coming of a Savior King. Listen: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” As Zechariah proclaims the coming of this king, he calls the people of God to develop a kingdom orientation that goes beyond Jerusalem or the nation of Israel. For Zechariah says: (This Savior King) “…will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to see and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

It’s that perspective—that kingdom orientation—that caused misunderstanding in the days of Zechariah, in the days of Jesus, and also in our day and age.

We know that Jesus is the Savior King, foretold by the prophets. When Jesus, for example, close to the end of his earthly ministry, rode into Jerusalem on that royal limousine—a donkey—Zechariah’s prophecy was quoted to explain the significance of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. At that time, many Israelites were looking for a political savior, who would overthrow the Romans in Israel, and who would set up a national government free from foreign tyranny.

Such expectation can also be found in Matthew 11:1-19. John the Baptizer, for example, is in prison. It’s reasonable to assume that John fears for his life at the hand of King Herod. John seems to have some second thoughts about Jesus, whose coming John had announced to the people of Israel. So, John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

It seems that Jesus does not fit the political mold of the Israelites’ expectations. Jesus’ politics seem so unusual, so obscure, and so confusing.

Jesus’ answer underscores that his politics is different: he points to what’s happening in his ministry. And Jesus connects these things with the words of the prophet Isaiah, thus underscoring that Jesus is for real, yes, the one foretold by the prophets, and the one to expect to rule over them: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

Clearly, such signs do not take place in palaces and parliaments and capital rotundas. There we find worldly practices of politics: the wielding of military, economic, social, and financial power. But Jesus, the King, practices politics from heaven.

This is important to notice for Jesus calls his followers to develop a perspective, an orientation that draws upon Jesus’ heavenly rule on earth.

In other words, followers of Jesus must put on the glasses of God’s kingdom as we live our lives on earth. The politics of Jesus are the impulses that guide us in practicing politics in our communities, states, and country. That’s why Jesus says: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”

Comparing John the Baptist’s ministry to a funeral song, Jesus challenges the crowd to make up their minds about the message of the kingdom of heaven. And comparing his own ministry to a wedding song, Jesus challenges us to make up our minds about him as our Savior King. Jesus chides the crowd for rejecting John the Baptist’s ministry or message saying, (You) “…are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and (you) say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and (you) say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.’”

It all comes down to this: Who is this Jesus? What is he about? What should be our response to him? And how shall we live as his followers here on earth? So, I’ll say it again: Our relationship with Christ, the King, calls for American and all other Christians to engage in politics with biblical and spiritual discernment.

SOME APPLICATIONS

Let me state a few pointers to practice Christian patriotism, if you will. First of all:

· Beware of the idolatry of nationalism: Nazi Germany practiced such ideology, saying “Germany uber alles.” (Germany over all or everything!) You know the horrendous price of that ideology. As Christians we must never adopt a posture that is blind to possible wrongdoings by our government leaders. Balanced, constructive self-examination is a healthy practice for us to do as loyal, patriotic citizens. So, let’s beware of an uncritical posture that may lead to the idolatry of nationalism. Secondly,

· Root yourself in Christ, the King, and live with a kingdom of heaven orientation: What are we? Are we citizens of America? Yes. But as Christians who declare Jesus as sovereign King and ruler of the world, we are first and foremost citizens of Jesus’ rule or kingdom. To live with a kingdom of heaven orientation means that we put on the glasses, the perspectives of Jesus’ kingdom: while exercising American citizenship and living within the framework of the Constitution, we shape our actions and thinking with the Word of God; we flavor our attitudes with grace and love and justice toward all—friends and foes alike. As ambassadors of Christ, representing his heavenly rule here on earth, we live with a kingdom of heaven orientation. Thirdly,

· Engage in politics on at least two levels: Spiritually, followers of Jesus have no choice: we practice politics whenever we come together for public worship. Worshiping the triune God is a highly political act. Someone has said: “In worship we signal who is the Sovereign, not of just this nation, but of heaven and Earth [sic]. In worship we gather to be formed into an alternate polis, the people of God. It is here that we proclaim that a new political order—the kingdom of heaven—has been preached and incarnated by the King and Kings, and will someday come in fullness, a fullness to which all kingdoms and republics will submit….” (Christianity Today, July 2005, p. 22) Yes, you may think of this worship gathering as a political act on a spiritual level.

Such spirituality flows over into the level of local, state, national and international politics. For example, the Bible calls us to pray for our governments and rulers; we must intercede for President Bush and all elected lawmakers; we must pray that God’s rule may be established through (and often in spite of) their decisions and policies.

Prayer and work, however, go together. That’s why Christians should not disengage from politics and political issues. We need to engage our fellow-citizens in doing what’s right, in pursuing justice, in supporting the weak and the disadvantaged. America needs Christian voices that speak with biblical and spiritual discernment.

We need to voice Biblical perspectives, especially in such gray areas as bioethics and cloning, in social policies such as marriage and the family, and in economic practices that concern the use of resources and the stewardship of the earth. Surely, we cannot escape politics on either level. The politics of King Jesus must be brought to bear on the politics of the nations of the world.

Go ahead! Celebrate Independence Day! Thank God for our country and its many blessings. Thank God for the sacrifices made by our service men and women—past and present. And thank God for the freedom we have. And remember: our relationship with Christ, the King, calls for American and all other Christians to engage in politics with biblical and spiritual discernment.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!