To be patriotic is uncool. Popular culture tells us how uncool it is to be patriotic in every way possible, it’s everywhere we look. For example, if a character in a movie is waving the flag and says that they “love their country” then they will probably turn out to be a bad guy. They will use the motive of loving their country to do some horrible crime against humanity. You know it’s true. You’ve seen that movie, too.
“Born in the U.S.A.” seems like a patriotic song at first glance, until you look at the lyrics. He’s a cool rockin’ daddy in the U.S.A. but he has the flinch of a dog that’s been beat too much by his cruel government. “Little Pink Houses” for you and me, is another seemingly patriotic song, it describes America as a place where blind men sit in poverty feeling the oppression of the rich in the home of the free, baby.
We are told in the media that the rest of the world hates us. We should be ashamed of ourselves. We assume that our leaders are dishonest, shallow and selfish. Each generation gets further entrenched in the self-hating apathy that has become our national self image.
Cheery thoughts.
The heart of the Bible is what Jesus calls the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Love God with everything that you are. In all that you think and all that you do. What does it mean to love God?
This love is not a romantic love. This love is better understood as a patriotic love. It is the kind of love that a true patriot would have for his country as he marched off to war to defend it. It is the kind of love that you have for your family. It is the kind of love that you have for a group that you are deeply committed to being part of, a group that you would give up your life for. A group that defines who you are by being part of it.
Jesus is our King. He has established and is establishing a kingdom that transcends national borders. All Christians are to pledge their allegiance first and foremost to the Kingdom of Heaven. Before themselves, before their family and before their country. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our loyalty is with Christ.
We have other duties that flow from this, however. With our heart first given to our King, we are to also love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to honor our mother and father. We are to love our family. With our loyalty first given to the Kingdom of Heaven we are to honor the rulers that God has placed over us in our various countries. 1st Peter says to honor the emperor. Even when the emperor is not honorable, and the emperor is hardly ever honorable.
This brings me back to my original point. Being patriotic is not in style. This makes it difficult for us to understand what it truly means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It is difficult for us, because we think we are too cool to give our whole heart, soul, mind and strength to anyone or anything other than ourselves.
We need to snap out of it. We need to repent of our national self-loathing. We need to get our priorities in order and let that inform how we live the lives that God has given us. We need to pray for the leaders that God has placed over us and live as if everything matters. Because everything matters.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. AMEN
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Frank I think that Born in the USA and especially Little Pink Houses are patriotic songs. I think they speak about America as it is: flawed, but at its heart true, even special and unique. I guess I am an optimist about America and even about the Boss and Melencamp.
But you are right that patriotism is out of fashion, but that doesnt make any difference to me. It seems also to me that there is a kind of patriotism that the bible commands of us. We are commanded to pray for those in authority over us - that is a kind of patriotism, a kind of love of country, or at least the place that God has placed us.
On July the 4th that seems like a good message.