Independence Day Years ABC

Introduction

So . . . here's the big question: What does it mean to be independent? (on the occasion of Independence Day). Many youth yearn to be independent—to not be told what to do or how to behave or when to go and when to stay. Many look forward to the magic age of 18 when one is considered an adult and can do so many things without someone watching over their shoulder. But is that independence? Truth be told, we are not "independent" (in the strictest sense of the word) but are in fact "interdependent". Many of us did not "earn" our independence by fighting for it, as armed service forces do and have done. Many of us did not sacrifice our lives and livelihoods, as did our Founding Fathers. But we have reaped the benefits of both the armed forces and Founding Fathers. So in fact, we are interdependent. And in that interdependence we recognize the value of all—the large, the small, the smart and the not-so-smart, the men, women, and others, those who look like us, those who do not—all come to this "independence" table. And Jesus asks only that we love each other. Feel free to comment.

Hebrews 11:8-16

By faith Abraham . . . stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. . . . By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

From sermon4kids.com: “This week as we celebrate Independence Day, let us remember to stop and thank God for those who have paid the price for our freedom. But even more important, let us remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price. ”