03 Jul The City of God
Dearest Church Family,
As we approach the anniversary of our nation’s birth, the Fourth of July, we should pause to acknowledge we are living in extremely challenging times.
Our nation has been hit with a series of waves like nothing before seen in our lifetime–a healthcare crisis, an economic crisis, and a crisis in our relational fabric as we grapple with questions of race and justice–all while we try to do our best with each crisis while forced to be at a distance from each other.
One of these crises alone would be hard enough–but all three?
What can we do in response?
The great pastor and theologian, Augustine, who lived through turbulent and challenging times in his day, watched as his people gave into fear as Rome began to fray. And into that difficult moment he spoke and wrote what is considered to be his magnum opus: The City of God.
In it, he called his people to remember that God’s Kingdom, God’s City, is fundamentally not of this world.
He called his people to remember that their nation was not inherently the “City of God”.
And he called them to remember that they could, as the people of God before them did, still live like Christians in any challenging moment their nation was facing:
They could still love one another.
They could still pray and serve the needy.
They could still give thanks for what they did have.
And most of all, they could remember that God has promised to win in history, that the City of God, not the City of Man, would triumph.
So this weekend, as we are able to celebrate the freedoms we do have, remember those who have fought to bring those about, and work to establish and secure them for those who don’t, we can remember whose City–and people– we ultimately belong to. As Paul the Apostle reminded us, our citizenship truly is in heaven; and, as another great Reformer wrote:
And though this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
To that, and because of that, I say, Amen.
Much love to you,
Morgan