America
In 1989 I was in a plane sitting on a tarmac in Romania. We had landed after midnight. All lights on the plane were turned off on the plane and on the run-way. Engines shut off. It was hot…and getting hotter. No comment from pilot. We waited. The moonlight gradually revealed military jeeps on either side of the plane with machine guns pointed at us. We waited.
Commandos came on the plane with automatic weapons casually held in their arms. They walked down the aisle looking at passengers. No passenger looked into their faces in the shadowed night. It was terribly intimidating.
We marched off the plane by moonlight. My luggage suffered intrusive and aggressive handling inside and out. I picked up my suitcase and walked into the night to meet Christian friends. Filing a complaint was out of the question. I had the feeling one could disappear without protocol or history.
We stayed in the hotel that the dictator had earlier placed soldiers with machine guns and reportedly killed 10,000+ people in the square below. Folks whispered the story. Fear still hung like a heavy fog in the air. None dared speak openly of the regime.
On another mission trip I was advised to never use the word “Muslim”---even in private. I was told that an American Christian using the word “Muslim” could start a riot…and Christians would be held responsible.
America. Land that I love. It is only a spot on earth. Yet many of those who came here from other lands were looking for freedom and the right to worship God. America. Mountains, valleys, forests, beaches, farms, cities. So diverse. So incredibly beautiful. Four magnificent seasons.
America. We send soldiers around the world to help win freedom. We send military ships with supplies when there are tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, and other disasters.
We win wars and rebuild the countries we have conquered. Our soldiers declare victory, and soon we are hugging those that were the enemy. We are a strange people.
Japanese invaded China. China has not forgiven. Japanese bombed our troops at Pearl Harbor, and today Japan is one of America's closest allies. We retreat from Vietnam only to bring tens of thousands of Vietnamese to live in the U.S.
July 4 is a celebration of the best of America. Being American is not a Free Pass to heaven. But being American is still so special that billions of people would gladly pay to have a passport to come and live in America.
In grateful response for our freedom and liberty we must pray for your country. We must dedicate ourselves to be the best that we can be as citizens. We must work together. We must desire that our churches will be biblically sound and practice the teachings of Christ. We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us through these times as we look for the soon coming of Jesus.
Each of us giving our best will make a difference for God and country.
Pastor Bare
II Chronicles 7:14