As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation this month, we give thanks to God for all the liberties we enjoy and for the generations who have lived before us. The founders of our country sought to secure freedoms that allow us to gather, worship, serve our neighbor, and to speak God’s truth in love. These freedoms are not ends in themselves, but gifts entrusted to us.
Martin Luther wrote: “I will, therefore, give myself as a Christ to my neighbor, just as Christ offered Himself to me.”
Our blessings that we have been given in our country call us to responsibility. We should help and care for widows and the orphans, pray for those in authority, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Mark 12:28–31
One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to Jesus debate. He realized Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments which is the most important?”
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: Listen, O Israel! The Lord your God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all of your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”
On this milestone anniversary, may we remember that our ultimate allegiance is to Christ. Let us commemorate America’s 250th year not only with gratitude for the past, but also with a renewed commitment to be faithful and to work diligently to help out in our own communities of Cordova, Crete, Exeter, Friend, Seward, and Wilber (wherever we live, work, or attend school) and to show Christ’s love to all people.
From The Elders