at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton

United Church of Christ

It has happened again. The words “under God” in our country’s Pledge of Allegiance are once more under attack.

You may recall that several years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a lawsuit brought by a California father who argued that teacher-led recitation of the pledge violated religious liberty and was, therefore, unconstitutional. Even though legal precedent makes reciting the pledge voluntary, the father – a self-professed atheist – did not want his third-grade daughter to be subjected to having to listen to the phrase “under God” in the oath. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed on a technicality.

But just two weeks ago, a billboard campaign started appearing along the highways of North Carolina that raises the issue again. The billboards display an American flag and the words “One nation, indivisible.”

Notice what’s missing? And do you think it’s a coincidence that one of the billboards is located on Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte?

Interestingly, the words “under God” were not in the original Pledge of Allegiance. Even though the pledge was first written in 1892 -- by a Baptist minister, no less -- it made no reference to religion. It wasn’t until 1954, during the height of the Cold War and the anti-communist McCarthy era, that Congress added the phrase “under God” in an attempt to differentiate the United States from the godless Communism of the Soviet Union. Now in 2010, a coalition of atheists and secular humanists have placed the North Carolina billboards to – and I’m quoting -- “let people know that patriotism and belief in God are not always synonymous.”¹

Now, I am both a woman of faith and a proud citizen of the United States of America. And although I don’t particularly like the message expressed in these billboards, I certainly defend the freedom of citizens of this country to express their views and to hold certain beliefs – including unbelief. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are among the liberties we celebrate on this Independence Day.

But the bible has a lot to say about freedom, too. We know the familiar story of the ancient Hebrews’ escape from Egyptian bondage and their journey into the freedom of the Promised Land. In this morning’s Gospel lesson, Jesus tells us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” [John 8:32]. And the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” [2 Cor 3:17].
And if I could have a conversation with the people who put up those billboards, I would try to point out to them that the words “under God,” do not restrict our freedom of speech or religion. Indeed, a life “under God,” liberates us like no Declaration of Independence or Constitution could.

Sam Conti knows this. As many of you know, Sam has been in prison for 5.5 years, serving out a sentence six times the guideline for a crime many of us are convinced he did not commit. If Sam had grown hopeless and embittered in prison, I think most of us would understand. But he hasn’t. When I visited with him this past Thursday, he told me how blessed he felt. “When you have everything taken away,” he said, “Then you get clarity about what you do have.” And Sam knows he has God through Jesus Christ. And because Sam lives his life “under God,” his is able to see beyond his own circumstances to give of himself. He teaches the drums to fellow inmates and has helped over 30 prisoners attain their GED certificates. Because Sam lives “under God,” his heart is full of hope for the future, and he looks forward to living out God’s purpose for his life.

And so, what imprisons you this Independence Day; what is keeping you from being free? Are you locked up by loneliness, separated from loved ones by distance or estrangement or simply feeling that nobody cares? Have you been enslaved by grief since the loss of someone or something dear to you? Are you confined by fear – fear of change, of the future, fear for your job, your health, fear for our country, our world? Are you shackled by shame for something you or someone you love has done, or something that has been done to you? Are you handcuffed by hopelessness, jailed by jealousy, held hostage by hate, incarcerated by addiction?

Then try living a life that is under God. Because:

Under God, we are let loose from our loneliness by the abiding presence of Christ, who promises to be with us “always, to the end of the age.”²

Under God, we are liberated from anger and hatred through the reconciling love of Christ, from which nothing can separate us.³

Under God, we are freed from our fears by Christ who says to us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”⁴

Under God, we are released from our failures, our anguish, our hopelessness, by the new life Christ offers with these words: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.⁵

Under God, we are delivered from death itself because, by the grace of God, it isn’t the last word.

On this Fourth of July, seek true independence. Live a life under God, for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and God’s Truth will set you truly free. Amen.