Early in the morning, a high school marching band will lead
a glorious processional of bright red fire trucks, marching war veterans,
flag-bearing horseback riders, candy-throwing circus clowns, and a roaring convoy
of army tanks. The warmth of the summer
sun betrays the fact that it is early July.
As morning becomes afternoon, children with painted faces will bounce
through inflatable castles. They will
enjoy pony rides, snow cones, and sugar-coated “elephant ears” of fried
dough. And fathers everywhere will
struggle to light a charcoal fire for the evening cookout. The summer sun will finally fade into the
West, and the “rocket’s red glare” will be our nighttime amusement.
If this
scene on the landscape of your mental horizon seems very familiar, it is
probably because you’ve spent seemingly endless summers celebrating your
national Independence Day this way. The
first days of July bring to most Americans a deep sense of patriotism. To live in a nation that values liberty,
gained at the great cost of battles fought and lives lost, is a great
privilege. For many, knowing
independence has been a way of life. In
our work, our family lives, our vacations, holidays, and our daily routines, we
breathe the air of freedom without knowing it.
On July 9th, the people
of South Sudan will observe the first anniversary of their own Independence
Day. The scene will doubtless be much
the same. Parades will march down city
streets, celebrations will hold sway over the daily grind, and young and old
will sit around charcoal fires to tell the great patriotic stories. But certainly the day’s events will not be
taken for granted. The newfound freedom
will be like a refreshing breeze in what has been a stifling political
atmosphere for many years.
It is here, in these very moments
of celebration, in America, South Sudan, and throughout the world, that the
Christian must be wary. For if anywhere
we bite temptation’s apple, in its oldest, most deadly form, we do so in regard
to our independence. Man’s great sin has
been described by Saint Augustine as “the result of Pride, of the movement
whereby a creature (that is, an essentially dependent being whose principle of
existence lies not in itself but in another) tries to set up on its own, to
exist for itself” (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Chapter 5). To have political independence is a wonderful
gift. To have spiritual independence is
to inherit Hell.
As we reflect on our own spiritual
condition, binding our soul to the Savior as if sheep to a Good Shepherd, let
us reject the notion of spiritual independence and plead for the strength of
submission. Let us embrace our
creaturely role: to seek living water from a source of everlasting abundance
and thus be liberated from our slavery to corruption.
Prayer for the fledgling Republic
of South Sudan is still a desperate need.
Alongside their momentous gains, there exist the birth-pains of a
newborn nation. Much of their infrastructure
was tied to the North. And with the
severed channel of supplies, there are dangerous food shortages, overwhelming
sickness met by small stocks of medicines, and life-threatening conditions
among refugee populations. On July 9th,
South Sudanese will celebrate the joy of political independence. May they also know the glorious freedom of
the sons of God (Romans 8:21). This is
our prayer.
