Grace, Peace & Liberty
Grant, we beseech you, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteous and peace.
Blessings to each of you on this Independence Day! This is a day of celebration and gratitude for our nation which holds, at its core, the treasure of human freedom. It is an incomplete project: we continue to discover, often with great difficulty, that our founding story of a nation built on liberty is not yet a lived reality for all. Yet, this is still a beautiful ideal for which to strive. On this day, we remember all those who have kindled this idea of liberty, be they founders , civil rights leaders, prophets or visionaries who continue to challenge us to become the nation we claim to be.
Though I would not conflate American independence with Christian faith, I do believe that the yearning for freedom echoes the grace-filled gift of liberation that is the heart of our wild and ever-growing relationship with God. This is not a freedom based in “rights” so much as the opening of our hearts to the joy and liberation that comes when we live our lives in God: surrendering our egos, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and living for theliberation of others as much as our own.
Freedom is not a zero-sum game. If there were a limit on human “freedom”, such that my rights were more important than yours, that’s not freedom; it’s privilege. But if freedom is larger than my personal needs, if shared freedom means a greater liberation for all, then now we’re on to something really beautiful.
As you celebrate our national holiday today, I invite you to hold to a vision of freedom that is brought to fruition by grace, righteousness, and peace that transcends our individual or tribal identities. Let’s celebrate with joy and gratitude today, and tomorrow return to the work of liberation that honors the dignity of every human being.
Faithfully,
The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens