May 27, 2012
“Remembering Our Beliefs”
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Psalm 20
It was interesting to me to learn that the pledge of allegiance we have said virtually all our lives did not start out containing the phrase “One nation under God.” It was first set down in 1892 on Columbus Day to help teach young children about their connection to the wider nation their country was becoming. “One nation under God’ was added in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His reason was, “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."
Say what you will, but if you really seriously study the founding of the American republic God was a part of every step we took from the beginning. Has it been a perfect highway for democracy? Not hardly. Some of the distractions we have hit along the way have been heart wrenching but no other nation on the face of the earth seems to have experienced what we have gone through. It is because of our trust in God.
There are three things I want to touch on in our visit today. One revolves around how such strong feelings in faith and freedom have lead men and women throughout our history to put their very all on the line for our country. Second, today is Pentecost. We were never meant to be the church on our own. God always intended for us to have power we need to successfully live out and share our faith. That’s why we remember the coming of God’s Spirit to all believers. The third point just revolves around a quick look at the world around us. There are some strange things happening in the news these days. The Psalm we read addresses all three of these concerns and gives us some idea of how to answer them.
If you have never been to the Stones River Battlefield, it’s not a bad place to look around. If you’ve ever been to Gettysburg, there are no statues around like up there. If you have ever been to Antietam, it’s not exactly like it is out in the country. It’s in the middle of Murfreesboro and surrounded by highways and traffic on all sides and yet if you do a little research and close your eyes as you stand in its fields, it’s not hard to think of what happened there.
It was December 31, 1862 when the Army of Tennessee under Braxton Bragg and the Army of the Cumberland under William Rosecrans gathered round Stones River. The men on both sides new a fight was coming. Some sensed their time on this world might soon be up. The story goes that regimental bands on both sides played music to sooth the troops. You could hear the men on both sides singing along with their favorites. But there was one song that ultimately pulled the whole battlefield together that night - one song that had everyone of them thinking. “There’s no place like home.”
I am grateful that I have never been in a combat line with a gun in my arms waiting to kill whoever came at me. I am grateful that no one has ever been looking to take a shot at me. But those men were there not by accident. They were there because of their beliefs. They were devoted to a cause and were willing to put their all on the line for it.
Knowing what I do about David the Psalmist, I can see him praying such a prayer before battle with his men. “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.” Imagine being on the battle line just waiting. Imagine knowing what was about to happen and yet having no control whatsoever on what would unfold. How would you feel if it was the last few moments of life? We need to remember more of what we have in the Lord. We need to hold tight to a sense of His presence in every aspect of our lives.
I told you before how quietly encouraged I was to see new construction going on in several parts of the county. You know the basics as well as I do. You have to have a plan. You need to lay a foundation. You put up walls that will stand up to weather. All the steps lead you to a house that will last. It really is not that different from building a heart and life that will last. At the bottom of it all is your firm belief that God is a part of everything you are and hope to do. When push comes to shove, you believe that He never will leave you nor forsake you.
It is hard to think of a major battlefield being in our county. But it is here. There is even a national cemetery where some of the over 8,000 that were killed are buried. The question that came to my heart as I walked through the grounds was what these men would think of us today? Would they feel the sacrifice they made was wisely spent? Note that David includes the hope that God would remember all such sacrifices. It is a part of my challenge today that you are strong enough in what you believe that you would put your all on the line.
There are times I think we need to let our hearts drift back to the days of the early church as well. It may have begun with Christ and His followers but a time came where people had to rely on something more than the first hand knowledge the disciples could share with them. They had to develop a fire in their own hearts. They had to become convinced that Jesus was more than a crucified prophet. He was a risen Savior and Lord. The key was and is the power of the Holy Spirit being a part of each and every believer’s life.
Pentecost found a great number of people in Jerusalem. When God poured out His Spirit on the believers who were gathered there, a most amazing thing happened. Everyone present could hear the good news of salvation declared in their own language. Medes, Parthians, Elamites and so many others heard Galileans speak their tongue as if they were natives. Peter stood up and asked why were they surprised? He told them a moment like this had been planned for a long time.
I go back to our Psalm and hear David say, “May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Dear ones, the purpose of the church is not just to help us have the peace that passes all understanding in every moment we face. It is to help others find that peace as well. One of the most powerful blessings of having the Holy Spirit in your life is helping you to be able to talk to others about faith. It is giving you the words you need that whoever you share with will understand and receive the seed of godly love that you are trying to plant.
It may not be a battle like Stones River but it is a battle nonetheless. The church fights for the souls of men and women. The church fights against fear and doubt. The church fights against hate and hopelessness. And she is meant to be equipped with the same spiritual power that fell on Pentecost to effectively touch any open heart that will really listen.
I said a long time ago that I was not really that crazy about religion. You can be religious about lots of things – like taking a bath. I have my moments where I worry about theology when folks use ideas about God to stem the flow of what the Spirit is trying to say directly to their hearts. One of the wonders of Pentecost was to remind us that God’s people were really meant to be one – united – standing together in their concern for drawing the lost together in the love of God. When we put the emphasis on what divides us rather than what unites us we are just flat messing up.
Consider again what David is saying here. “Now I know the Lord saves His anointed; He answers from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.” The point of Pentecost is to remind people again that the power behind our faith is God (He answers). The purpose behind our sharing is the message of salvation (His right hand). The promise that makes life worth living is the goal we are all striving for – being one with our Father in heaven.
Now let’s add a contemporary ribbon to all this. Have you heard the name Lolo Jones before? She is an Olympic hurdler. She is 29 years old and her claim to fame rather than her running ability this week has been that she has publicly stated she is and intends to be a virgin until she is married. She is saving herself for the man that she loves. What got me about this was that people are giving her a hard time for doing the right thing. People have been telling her things about how she’d do better and be stronger if she just gave in. Bologna sauce! There is no right way to do a wrong thing and she should be encouraged for standing up for what she knows in her heart of hearts is right.
Have you heard the story coming out of the Providence Road Baptist Church in North Carolina? The pastor preached that he wished electrified fenced in compounds could be built to round up all the homosexuals and confine them. Without even going down the great number of roads that opens up, let me ask you one thing. Would Jesus engage in such hateful, bitter talk? I don’t think so! Even with those who disagreed with Him, Jesus always left an open door. He always tried to find the common ground. He was never ever in the business of condemning anyone. He was not afraid to go into settings that others weren’t because He knew in His heart of hearts that there was always someone seeking a new beginning. There was always someone who wanted to leave the old ways behind and find something new. If Jesus did not engage in inflaming people’s hearts, we shouldn’t either.
On this day where we commemorate and honor those men and women who gave their all in our nation’s quest for freedom, on this day where we remember that Jesus did not just establish the faith and leave, He opened the door of our hearts to His Holy Spirit; I need to ask you to remember our beliefs. David writes in our passage, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
I have said this before and I will say it again. It was not freedom from religion that brought people to this country. It was freedom of religion. We should not change what made us Americans in the first place. We are one nation, under God. We are a people of God who should know what we believe and not be hesitant about living that way. Memorial Day will find us attending ceremonies, watching wreath layings, and doing family things. Who is the heart of our family? Without God would we fully be able to enjoy what we have? With all that you see for yourselves in the news every day, it has never been more essential for those of us who call ourselves sons and daughters of the most high to stand up for what is right and live out a clear contrast over what is wrong. Remember what you believe and let God’s Spirit empower you to share it! Amen!
