The Welsh national anthem is a hymn of rare beauty.  It was sung in both Princess Diana's wedding and her funeral.  Here are the lyrics that are all but unknown in our country, but which provide a rich vocabulary for contemplating what it means to give our lives to God and his Kingdom:

       I vow to thee my country, all earthly things above.

       Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love.

       The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test.

       That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best.

       The love that never falters, the love that pays the price.

       The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

       And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,

       most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know.

       We may not count her armies, we may not see her King,

       her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering.

       And soul by soul and silently, her shining bounds increase,

       and her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace

And while the words and the sentiments are beautifully expressed, they speak of a patriotism to a land to which a person has vowed the undying loyalty.

         John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church also wrote words of Christian patriotism.  They, too, are all but unknown accept to those who are familiar with Wesley’s commitment  and loyalty to God and God’s Kingdom.  Wesley wrote:

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,

Praised for you or criticized for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.

And now, O wonderful and holy God,

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,

you are mine, and I am yours.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it also be made in heaven

Wesley’s covenant speaks to a personal and spiritual commitment to God and to the Kingdom of God.  It loses “self” in the act o humble submission and offers self in the act of selfless sacrifice.  This is what the art and act of true Christian patriotism of made of.

• What thoughts come to mind when you think of Christian patriotism and selfless sacrifice for the Kingdom of God?
• How would you go about making such a commitment to serve God and God’s Kingdom?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, please accept my acts of Christian patriotism however meek they are practiced. Grant mercy to me for those times my patriotism falls short of Your expectations.

         Patriotism — and more specifically Christian patriotism —begins and ends with our acknowledgement of our relationship to God through Jesus Christ.  It is within that relationship that our actions and character as children of God through Jesus Christ are to be lived out.  And no, it is not easy living this life as a child of God.  We’re often caught between the rock of our humanity and the hard place of transformation into what it means to be loyal and faithful to God.  And if being loyal and faithful — patriotic Christians — brings suffering upon us because of our commitment to do good despite the unacceptance of those who don’t believe as we do, then it is our acts of patriotism — our faithful commitment to God and the Kingdom of God that gives evidence of our faithful patriotism and connects us to the suffering of Christ for righteousness sake.  To that end we should continue to do good, living as patriotic Christians abiding by Christ’s requirement that we love one another, despite the principles of those who believe that only certain people are to be loved and included in God’s Kingdom.  Christian Nationalism has become the stain upon our faith and upon the Kingdom of God, that is inclusive of all.  We should be reminded from time to time that because of Christ, “28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28}

• How does suffering as a citizen of God’s Kingdom strengthen or challenge your commitment to remain faithful to Christ and continue doing good in his name?
• What growth do you see as necessary in your spiritual life that will enable you to willingly suffer for the sake of Christ and God’s Kingdom?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, strengthen my resolve to endure suffering as an art of patriotic Christianity that God may bee honored and glorified.

         Freedom has become a hallmark aspiration of this nation since its founding.  It’s also been a principle of the Christian faith since its inception.  The opening words of the fifth chapter of Galatians state, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  (Galatians 5:1).  And so, our freedom — that which we experience in Jesus Christ — is not a freedom to be taken lightly.  It’s a freedom that gives its every priority and consideration to what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God over and above what it means to be a citizen of this earth.  Freedom as it has been practiced in this land has frequently been reserved for the privileged few.  It’s frequently been used as a tool of the rich and powerful to avoid justice as is seen in the recent case with the Jeffrey Epstein files and its survivors.  It has been viewed among those who choose to be used as a license to avoid being held accountable, even after a jury has found someone guilty.  We can’t help but to believe that the retrial of Alex Murdaugh has much to do with the power his family wielded in South Carolina.  And so, freedom for the privileged has meant that they get to do what they want, when they want, with whomever they want, without any accountability.

        For those of us who are Christians and patriots of our God, freedom has a much different context.  We are not under the law if we are led by the Spirit because the Spirit leads us into righteous behavior based on the foundation of Christ’s love.  We are free to love unconditionally — not holding our trespasses against each other but through forgiveness and understanding, offering each other the grace of Jesus Christ.  It’s the freedom to honor and respect one another with integrity in a way that honors the laws of the land in which we live as well as the land in which our citizenship if truly located — the Kingdom of God.  It’s a freedom that carries with it the salvation of Jesus Christ and the mercy and grace of God which sets all believers free.

• How has your experience of freedom in Christ changed your life?
• How might you advise others of the advantages that freedom in Christ gives you that strengthens your patriotism to the Kingdom of God?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, hold me in the freedom I experience as a child of God and a citizen and patriot of Your Kingdom. Help me to understand my freedom as an opportunity to love others as You loved me.