Dear Peace members and friends,
Happy 4th of July! Years ago, my wife and I were traveling overseas and we were out and about one morning. And I suddenly realized what day it was, and I said, excitedly, to someone nearby, “It’s the 4th of July!” And the man replied, “That’s right. And yesterday was the 3rd and tomorrow is the 5th.” He didn’t have a clue!
We Americans know that the 4th of July is more than just a day on the calendar. It is a day of fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics, concerts, and get-togethers. But it is, first and foremost, a celebration commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence; our nation’s birthday.
As part of your weekend celebrations, I hope you’ll join us for worship on Sunday (9:30am). We’ll begin worship with the hymn, “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies,” also known as, “America the Beautiful.” We’ll hear a Children’s Message and share Holy Communion together. And I’ll continue my sermon series, “How My Mind Has Changed.” In my message, I’ll reflect on how our lives as Christians are now lived out in a distinctly different context than when I was growing up in 1960’s Bloomington and how we might live out our faith in Bloomington, 2025. Do join us in-person or online!
Last of all: have a blessed 4th of July weekend! And as you celebrate our nation’s birthday this weekend and give thanks for what is best about America, I want to encourage us as followers of Christ to continue to affirm the deeply Biblical truth of the Declaration of Independence: that all people are of equal value and worth, that all of us are endowed by our Creator with the unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and pray that we live up to those high ideals, dreams, and hopes for all.
Grace and Peace,
Mark