The Other Independence Day -- March 15, 1783

Very soon we will celebrate the 4th of July with picnics, parades, fireworks and a remembrance of just how extraordinary the Declaration of Independence remains. Some of us will think about the risks that its signers took -- placing their lives, their fortunes, and well being in the venture. As we celebrate, it's good to remember the courage and the blessing that the promise of the Declaration sets before the nation and the world. Each generation of Americans has invested that Declaration with greater meaning and brought its promises closer to fulfillment. It is a great blessing to live in a nation that declares as a foundational truth that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights. So many live in places where that promise is rejected out of hand.

We learned about Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown in school. We learned something of the very dear price that was paid for making the first installment on the Declaration. Perhaps we understood something about the cost of freedom if we listened carefully and used our imaginations to walk in the snows of Valley Forge and face the years of defeat punctuated by improbable victories. It would be easy to see the story of the Revolution and the years that followed that culminated in our Constitution as a stream that just had to occur exactly as it did. It would be easy to believe that the Constitution had to follow the Declaration just as day follows night.

It would be easy, but it would be wrong. A quick read of history tells us that most revolutions fail even when they sweep the Ancient Regime aside. Most become dictatorships or worse. So much depends upon the character of the men who lead the revolution.

By 1783, Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown and the negotiations with England dragged on in Paris. The English still held New York and the Continental Army was still mustered at Newburgh to hold that English army in the city. Unfortunately, the Congress struggled with exactly how to pay the army and many of its officers were close to mutiny. By March of 1783 a full blown conspiracy to march on the Congress in Philadelphia and force it to pay back wages was well underway. One of its leaders was Horatio Gates who had been involved in the Conway Cabal, a plot to replace George Washington during some of the darker days of the Revolutionary War.

George Washington was informed of this conspiracy by Alexander Hamilton and met with the rebellious officers at the Public Building in Newburgh. The rebellious officers were sullen, but when Washington paused before attempting to read a prepared speech, to put on his eye glasses he said to them ..."Gentlemen, will you permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country." With that simple statement, the remembrances of shared ordeals and loyalty overcame anger. The heart went out of the conspiracy in that moment. The nation was saved from becoming just another banana republic with a dreary series of juntas and dictators to punctuate a sad history. We are a blessed people that when liberty stood on a knife's edge, good men remembered what they had suffered and sacrificed for. We were blessed to have a leader who knew humility is greater strength than boasting.

So as you celebrate the Fourth, think about George Washington's spectacles and how they saved us. We all need help remembering what the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Eph. 4:26-27) When you find that your anger is capturing your heart, remember Washington's spectacles. There is always more that holds us together than will pull us apart -- if we are willing to see it.

Keep the faith

Richard

Lessons from the Plum Beach Lighthouse

The lighthouse at Plum Beach was built in 1899 and was 39 years old when the Hurricane of 1938 sent 30 foot waves crashing into the tower. The two light keepers survived by lashing themselves to the weights of the clockwork mechanism that rotated the light. But it was not the storm that nearly destroyed this lighthouse -- the building of the Jamestown bridge made it obsolete in 1941. Only the sea birds inhabited this mighty tower until 2003 when the restoration began. It now stands proudly and its light once again shines in the night.

In John 8:12 Jesus said "I am the light of the world, he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." I think that those two lighthouse keepers understood just how desperately we must hold onto the light. The storms of life will come; they will threaten to sweep us away into that darkness. Only when we hold onto the light when all hope seems gone will we find just how precious the light is. The really neat thing is this -- as we hold on, He holds us all the closer. When our strength fails, His begins.

The neglect of this lighthouse after the bridge was built tells us that old victories will not win today's battle. The tower was abandoned to the birds, and sixty years of neglect was demonstrated in the 52 tons of guano that were removed during the restoration. Grace and mercy are like the crew that cleaned away the debris of neglect, restored the lighthouse to its purpose and turned its light back on. Grace and mercy rescue and make things new.

It reminds me of the Prodigal Son -- "But the father said to his slaves, quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it and let us make merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; was lost and has been found ..." (Luke 15:22) I see something of the Father's style in this brave lighthouse -- because it was loved, it no longer is covered in bird droppings, it has a fresh coat of paint (the best robe), it has a ring (its light is on again) and it stands proud again (new sandals). Each year hundreds of visitors celebrate its victory and restoration and capture its image from boats, cars and from the shore.

We can take a lesson or two from this brave lighthouse -- we must hold onto the light and God is in the restoration business.

Keep the faith

Richard

don't forget to remember ...

This week I found a copy of a concert video which features James Taylor and Carole King performing at the Troubadour. They had a collaboration through the '70's that defined the very best of pop music at that time. Watching Carole perform so many of the songs from Tapestry reminded me of the places where I first heard them -- Ames, Birmingham, Cape Cod, Bridgewater, ... and the good friends who are part of the memories of those places and times. Watching James do the magic with the songs that will always be his fills me with a joy that there really are some things that for all the changes remain charming and true. I do wonder which of today's songs will have the same power 40 years later.

JT introduced You've Got A Friend and reminded all of us that Carole allowed him to release the single while she was cutting Tapestry. He went on to say that he's had the opportunity to sing that song every night ever since then. I am convinced that the reason why so many of us love the song is that we all need a friend like the one in the song and we all wish that we could be as good a friend as the song promises. The song speaks to a need and gives us a promise that the need can be met.

In John's Gospel (John 15:15 and 15:13) Jesus told the disciples -- No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends. Two verses earlier Jesus told them that -- Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. I am convinced that the real reason why we all cherish this lovely song --You've Got A Friend -- is because it has an echo of a deeper truth and it speaks to that greatest love and our first and best Friend.

Keep the faith!

Richard

Sisters ...

Last weekend, I spent a lot of time with Emma and Lila. There are few things better than a Saturday spent with grand kids. The girls are coming up on their common birthday in just a month -- Emma will be four and Lila will be one. There will be great celebrating on the big day. This picture celebrates the heart of that shared birthday -- the simple joy of knowing that you will always have your sister's hand to hold, a best friend who will help you walk when the world is wiggly and someone who thinks you are just the most fun in the entire world. Sometimes we forget the great gift of sisters and brothers, of family, of friends and get caught up in stuff.

Shame on us, because we really do know better.

The really neat thing is that being the big sister who's keeping the wiggly world safe or being the little sister who honors you with trust are both needful. We all need that hand to keep us steady; and we all need to be needed.

Jesus talked about our need to be connected to each other in the 15th chapter of John's Gospel. He said ... I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit ... I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead I have called you friends ..."

It's really all about leaning on Him, growing in His love, and letting Him produce fruit in your life. It's about putting your hand in His hand and letting Him make your world less wiggly. You can find joy beyond measure in letting your best friend help you walk.

Emma and Lila did.

Keep the faith!

a fresh look down memory lane ...

On Saturday, just because the promise of Spring exploded with 70+ degrees and sunshine, we drove to Newport to do the Cliff Walk. After parking at First Beach, I noticed these kids frolicking on the sand. It brought back so many memories of Sean, Cil, Pat and Becky playing on the beaches of Cape Cod.

It always started with running in the sand, then the shoes and sox were off. There was always a promise that "we're only going in to our knees." I always carried wet children home after they'd discovered that swimming was more fun than wading. We all knew how it would end; and it was part of the fun to see just how long they could hold out before the call of the water was just too much.

It's good to see that kids really haven't changed -- that there is nothing quite as much fun as a good run in the waves and flirting with getting completely soaked.

While we were in the Dominican, our friends in San Francisco de Marcoris taught us a song about swimming in the river of God. The verses say that I don't want to just get my knees wet, my shoulders wet; I want to swim in the river of God. We should be impatient with anything less than to be completely immersed in His love and His presence.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:14 - 16 "because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

I am mindful that as much pleasure as I took from watching my kids play on the beach and flirt with just how wet they could get, my heavenly Father takes so much more. He is watching to see just how deep we will get in the river of God's love. I know He smiles when we come up soaked in the Spirit!

Keep the faith

Richard

they that wait ...

In the movie Chariots of Fire, the Scot, Eric Liddell, preaches from the prophet Isaiah during the Sunday of the Paris Olympic games. The text is so familiar -- "yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary" (Isaiah 40:31) It is the marathoner's favorite verse and an encouragement to all who feel that they have given their all.

Recently, I had a chance to hear a friend talk about waiting on the Lord from a different perspective -- it isn't passively setting back and thinking positive thoughts. It is an active wait -- the kind of waiting that a birdwatcher in a blind engages in. You wait prepared, in a chosen place, because you expect to see a remarkable bird. Those sights are never seen by those who are not willing to rise early, to prepare and to set and wait. The reward is that you see what others miss. Photographers know the same truth about sunsets -- they pass quickly and only those who recognize the signs of a glorious sunset ever capture them.

On our return flight from the Dominican Republic, I found myself at Miami International Airport waiting for a flight back to Boston which was delayed because of East Coast weather. The windows faced west and I saw this glimmer in the sky -- there was a sliver of what is called the "golden hour" which back light the control tower. I spent the next half hour taking pictures of the glory that the Father shows us -- it renewed my spirit. If my heavenly Father provides such beauty which, like the lilies of the field, is here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will He show us when we spend eternity with Him! It is the certainty that greater things are coming; and that seeing Jesus face to face is greater than the most amazing moment we shall ever have on this planet continues to excite me.

At the end of the sunset, I saw a sky painted red and gold by my Father's hand -- He rewarded me for waiting upon Him and gave me the object lesson in active waiting. It is all about recognizing the signs of His coming and being ready to join in His work. If you don't look for the first signs of the golden light, you might just be in Starbucks waiting for a coffee when His handiwork is on display. As for me and my house, I want to see His glory -- I can get a cappuccino any day.

Keep the faith!


Richard



P.S. Remember the advice that Eric's father gave him ... "Run in God's name and let the world stand back in wonder"

Costly Grace ...

I've been reading Chuck Colson's book The Faith and have become stuck in a chapter called Exchanging Identities. In that chapter Colson writes about the real work of salvation and contrasts it with the ideas so common in America's re-branded Christianity.

The words "born again" and "being saved" roll off our tongues so quickly that we forget just how radical the idea really is. Sometimes when I read the third chapter of John's gospel, I think that Nicodemus must have left his thinking cap at home on the night he visited Jesus. "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" (John 3:4) The idea of a new birth is really hard to understand, especially when you have position and prestige.

It is the exchange of our old identity for the identification with Christ that is at the heart of being "born again." It's being ready to let go of who I am, what I do, and where I'll go that is at the calling. It is understanding that it's not about how I can change me, but how surrendering to Jesus will bring the real change in me. The point of being born again is not that I resolve my issues with guilt and sin, but that I take on a new identity. I choose to cooperate with grace and let His will be done in my life.

Colson tells of the radical transformation that comes with being born again. Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to faith in 1931 and changed. He became a leader in the confessing church which would not submit to Nazi control. He lost his university position, was denied access to the airwaves and forbidden to publish or speak in public. In June of 1939, he arrived in New York where he could have waited out the war in relative safety. His understanding of the cost of grace compelled him to return to Germany, spy for the Allies, and plot the assassination of Hitler. He could not stand idly by while the machinery of the Holocaust consumed its victims. His actions ultimately resulted in his execution only three weeks before the liberation of Berlin. While in prison he modeled the life that Christ calls us to. His prison camp doctor said of him,"In the almost fifty years I have worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."

That is the radical change that being born again calls us to -- to choose to follow Christ when it would be easier and safer to stay away. To find the work that is set before us and do it unto His glory. When we think about salvation as something that is about us, we do miss the point. It is about living our lives under His control, for His purposes and for His glory.

The apostle Paul tells us how we are saved, who saved us and why we are saved in the second chapter of Ephesians -- For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:8-10)

There's nothing so radical as being redeemed and born again. There's nothing so costly as the free gift of salvation, and no victory so sweet as surrender to Christ.

Keep the faith.