When I was three, my Dad made me a baton so I could stand
in front of the tv and conduct the Boston Pops orchestra during their Fourth of
July concert. That was how our family always spent the holiday. We didn’t host
a backyard BBQ or take a trip to the beach. On occasion, we traveled somewhere
in the city to watch live fireworks, but usually we stayed inside with the AC
and watched our favorite music and fireworks display from the comfort of the
couch. Then when I became a teenager, my best
friend and I cooked for my family—BBQ chicken (in the oven), potatoes
and green beans with a “flag cake” as dessert.
I’ve always love this holiday because like most every
American, it represents for me the privilege of living in a free country where
I can vote and where I can speak my mind without fear of jailtime. Even more
so, though, the Fourth represents the faith which is my inheritance and which,
thanks to being born in the USA, I can practice freely. Each Sunday I go to
church without fear of government or economic retribution for openly
worshipping God. It is a privilege and a freedom many believers do not share. But despite the chains the world uses to
shackle Christians, Christ has given us all true freedom.
He provides freedom from sin, from worry, from fear, and
from the eternal consequences of sin. While America is “the land of the free,”
the Lord is the Lord of freedom. So this
Fourth I am celebrating the four f’s of my faith, family, friends, and all the freedom
the Lord has given me, including the freedom to serve Him.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
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