Lamentations, America, and Jesus

As Americans, we're used to winning.  We are accustomed to winning militarily, economically, culturally, even in many international sports competitions.  We're used to seeing ourselves as the victors, the ones who call the shots.  We may not enjoy seeing other nations grovel, or seeing foreigners be treated inhumanely.  But we can't stand having anyone else tell our country what to do.  We bow to no one.

So imagine if you went to sleep and woke up some time in the future, and you opened a newspaper that read, “The streets of Washington, D.C., once bustling with people, are now silent.  ... Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave.  ... America has been led away into captivity, afflicted and enslaved.  ... The roads to New York are in mourning, no longer filled with crowds on their way to celebrate.  ... All the beauty and majesty of America are gone.  ... The Lord has punished her for her many sins.”

Wow.  So that's a taste of what Jeremiah was feeling when he wrote Lamentations.  It's a good thing we're Christians first, and Americans second.  It's a good thing that our identity starts here, with the sacrifice of Christ, and the celebration of His victory over the only foes that really matter—sin and death.

If America does good or even great things, we can rejoice, and celebrate, in the wondrous things God has done through this country.  But if our leaders take the country in directions we don't agree with, directions God sees fit to punish us for, we aren't shattered.  We are saddened, even chastised, especially if we supported those sins.  But who we are, our core, remains here, remains stable, whether the country of our birth rules over other nations, or serves other nations.

We come to this table as servants.  We do not come as members of the most powerful country in the world.  We do not come as those who deserve comfortable bedding, warm houses, or good food.  Our corporate titles, military honors, and retirement savings mean nothing here.  Our degrees, publications, seniority, and reputation give us no gain here.

Jesus made it clear that God does not owe us praise for our obedience.  We owe it to Him to come to this table, to listen for His voice, and to act on the Master's commands.

For this is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it."  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until Jesus comes again.

Offering Meditation:
I can just hear the stereotypical American Guy processing one of the verses from our Epistle text...

“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice [or timidity or fear]...”
That's right!  We're with God, and God's not afraid of anything, so No Fear, No Fear...

“but rather a spirit of power”
Power!  God's about power, and we're with God, so yeah, Power!

“and of love”
Sure, love, of course, God's all about love, and freedom, so we're all about free love, too!

“and of self-discipline.”
Ummm...  what was that?  Self-discipline?  Wait a minute, how does that fit in with the other stuff?

How does it fit in?  God gives us gifts, sometimes powerful gifts.  Because we imitate His love, we use those gifts to serve others.  But without self-discipline, without us controlling our use of the gifts God has given us, those good gifts will sour, and turn bad.

Most of us here are wealthy Americans.  The vast majority (though not all) of us can afford to give the usually-recommended amount of ten percent of our income (or more) as an act of obedience to God.  But it takes self-discipline to put that commitment first in our financial priorities, to set aside the comforts that our culture has convinced us we deserve, in order to be, not praiseworthy, but simply obedient.