A New Puppy and Ponderings on Independence Day
My parents just got a new puppy yesterday! Our dog Caleb died nearly two weeks ago. We had him ever since I was 10. He was a miniature schnauzer, and that's what this puppy is too. We have not named him yet. I suggested Jack, and my mom thought of Toby. We're not too worried about deciding immediately. He is only 9 weeks old. It might be nice to name him something to match his personality, but from what we know so far he could be called Biter, Nosy, or Baby. Those three things describe him as he is right now, but they're not names we would like him to live up to.
It is fun.
What are your churches like around the 4th of July? The churches I am from have always had traditions of celebrating the 4th on the Sunday closest to the holiday. This past Sunday was no different. I had the job of hanging a big flag at the front, besides the flag that is always displayed on the stage. The choir opened with a big exciting number about America that only mentions God twice in passing. We did the pledge of allegiance. (I awkwardly wasn't sure if those of us in the choir were supposed to face the flag or not). The other congregational songs were patriotic songs. The sermon was titled "Why Does God Bless America?" and I felt as though the text was only ever meant for Israel (the Psalm that says "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord". The one point in the outline that I heartily agreed with was that God has blessed us because of our stance toward the nation of Israel. Anyway, I began to wonder whether we had gathered there to worship God or not. But I kept these thoughts to myself. Even a couple of years ago these thoughts would never have entered my head. (Theo IV anyone?)
But I'm starting to realize, what's wrong with keeping sacred things sacred and secular things secular? I can celebrate the 4th as much as I want today. Why should I do it in church? That's not what church is for. Ah, but I feel that if I were to voice any of these thoughts I would be looked at as a complainer and a busy-body, just trying to cause trouble and discourage the work of the church. Cause you see, "lot's of people have been getting saved lately, so therefore we must be doing the right thing."
I just needed to get that off my chest. Happy 4th everyone! It may not be a holy nation, but we can thank God for where we have come from and what He has graciously blessed us with.
posted by Kristin at
10:11 AM
2 Comments:
Update:
We decided to name him Toby. His full name will be Tobias Rolfe Samdahl :)
Tobias (Tobhiyah) means "the Lord is good". Rolfe is for his German heritage and it sounds cool. Rolfe also happens to be short for Rudolph which means something to do with a wolf.
By
Kristin, at 1:33 PM
Kristin,
Yeah, I would echo your sentiments about patriotism in church. the other part of the problem is that, given the general conservatism of american evangelicals, these patriotic services also tend to become very political. Politics have no place in the church, as I see it. A seminary professor mentioned something to me a while back that I thought was wise. From the time that he was ordained as a pastor, he made a conscious decision to not comment on political issues. I think we would all be surprised to find out the political diversity that exists in our churches. Why do we think that Christian and Republican are synonomous?! In fact, Republicans and "conservatives" are often dirty and corrupt--often more so than the "liberal", socially-concerned, Democrats. For a lucid example of this, compare the "conservative" New York Post to the "liberal" New York Times. Look at the ads, compare the pop-culture columns, and notice the obsession with fashion (i.e. scantily-clad women) in the Post.
Wow. I didn't mean to rant like that.
By
Matt H, at 1:44 PM
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