7.1.2026
Deep inside the prison vaults in Edinburgh castle you’ll find scratched into the door one of the oldest depictions of the American flag outside of the states. Among the pirates and soldiers from all over the world that were held as prisoners in those dungeons was an American prisoner of war in 1780. Nothing is known about him, but his mark remains some 250 years later.
I took a picture of this back in 2009, and it was probably my favorite from the trip. It was just a little touch of home.
Saturday is the 250th birthday of the United States! I know some who refuse to celebrate, and that makes me a little sad for them. Yes, our country has its problems, but what country doesn’t? And my list of problems might be the same or it might be different than yours, but still I believe it is the finest country on earth. My heart is with the phrase of America, the Beautiful, “God mend thine every flaw.”
I love our national anthem, and I get goose bumps whenever I hear it sung. My favorite rendition is the one Sandi Patti did back in 1986 at the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The host of the Late Show, Johnny Carson, was so moved by Sandi’s performance that he brought her on his show to sing it. Whitney Houston’s version is great also. I remember a British friend of mine playing it for me and wiping tears out of his eyes. I asked him, “You know that’s not your national anthem, right?”
I was reading the lyrics of various national anthems, and they just don’t hit the same as ours. For example, Germany’s calls for “Unity and justice and freedom for the German fatherland! Towards these let us all strive brotherly with heart and hand . . .” Or how about Great Britain's, “God save our gracious King! Long live our noble King! God save the King . . .” (Sort of reminds you why we fought that battle to begin with!) The Russian national anthem is a great sentiment, “Be glorious, our free Fatherland, brotherly peoples united for centuries, popular wisdom given by ancestors! Be glorious, our country! We're proud of you!” I would expect the Russian anthem to have more . . . gravitas. “I’m proud of you.” Doesn’t do it for me.
None of these convey the spirit or the wildness or just the plain sass of our “rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in mid-air.” The French anthem comes close, with the refrain’s viscous “Let’s march, let’s march that their impure blood should water our fields.” But that’s taking things a bit far . . .
I love my country! Not always crazy about my government . . . but it’s still better than the other options.
I heard someone recently say that the difference between the American Revolution and others is that our revolution was rooted in Christianity (hear me out before you stop reading). The Russian and French Revolutions looked for utopia and ended up with tyranny. The American Revolution recognized the sinfulness of humanity and so our country was established with checks and balances to make sure that fallen men couldn’t become tyrants.
And that really is the problem with all forms of government that have existed since the dawn of time. We are governed – no matter what period of history, no matter what country – by sinful, fallen human beings who are given enormous amounts of power. And even with checks and balances, things can go off the rails.
Which is why we lift our eyes beyond this nation, beloved as it may be, to another Country.
Back in Paul’s day, Rome was overcrowded. After the Roman civil war ended in 42 BC, the generals had thousands of Roman soldiers on their hands. The last thing they needed was for over-crowded Rome to be flooded with thousands of new residents! So the generals gave the soldiers land in and around Philippi to establish a Roman colony there. In colonies like Philippi, the men were expected to transform the region through laws and through traditions into a little slice of Rome.
When Paul brought the gospel of Philippi, the converted descendants of the retired soldiers and the others who came afterwards were stuck with a dilemma: where did their loyalties lie? They lived and fought for the glory of Rome, but now, through Christ, their lives were marked by “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.” These were NOT Roman values. They forgave one another – which was CERTAINLY not a Roman value. They proclaimed Christ as King, not Caesar.
And so Paul wrote a little letter to them, reminding them that their “citizenship is in heaven.” After all, the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray is “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our values, our priorities, our passions – all these are shaped by our desire to please God. Our goal is to establish a colony of heaven anywhere in this country we love, whether it’s in East Limestone, Madison, Athens . . . or even Washington, DC.
And while I pledge my allegiance to our national flag (this is the only one I’d be willing to do that for), my ultimate allegiance (the Greek word is pistis, which is often translated as “faith,” but it means SO much more than just that) belongs to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
And our true anthem – not just national but heavenly anthem? How about “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” or “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”? Or how about “Rejoice! The Lord is King!” or “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty”?
It is certainly not “God save the King!” Our anthems proudly proclaim that God IS the King! A King whose law is love and whose gospel is peace: I can definitely get behind a King like that!
Blessings,
Pastor Terry