Parade and Protests
The U.S. Army celebrated its 250th anniversary this week with a parade of troops, military equipment, and music in the streets of Washington, DC. It was among the first of what will be many events commemorating 250 years since many of the foundational moments in American history—including the adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The celebratory event was met by protests in many American cities but went off without major incident in DC.
Analysis and eternal perspective: There will continue to be widely divergent views about the best methods for commemorating America’s 250 years. The extended commemoration does, however, present Jesus followers with a prime opportunity to walk out several of our Gospel mandates. While there will be numerous displays of division in the days ahead, let’s together choose to proactively seize the moment in the following ways:
- Love deeply. “Above all, love each other deeply” (1 Pet. 4:8).
- Embrace freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1)
- Live and love sacrificially. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn. 15:13).
The events of the coming months will give you every opportunity to choose either deep division or radical power, love, and reconciliation. There remains no greater model for how to lead a transformative life than that of Jesus, who demonstrated sacrificial love with immense strength through humility—embodied through the washing of feet and, ultimately, death on a Roman cross and resurrection three days later!
As you and I endeavor to be more like Jesus in the days ahead, we should expect it to be counter-cultural, and we should further expect it to have a radical impact far beyond our own natural capacity!
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.