July 4th 2015

I have to admit that this 4th of July seems more like a funeral than a birthday celebration.  You know how modern day funerals all seem to want to be called "a celebration of the life of ________" (fill in the blank).  Eventually that may be how many of us look at the 4th of July; as a celebration of the deceased's life. 

Just as when we attend a funeral and look back on the life of a friend, we tend to recall the good they did while holding our tongue about the times they fell short.  If that friend was a God fearing man (in the biblical sense) then there is indeed reason for hope regarding their future state. But what if your friend had spent a good portion of his life professing to love God (despite an ongoing struggle between doing good and doing evil, as we all have) only to totally reject God in his later years; celebrating what the LORD condemns?  Not so much hope left for that friend's future.  ...but that would not completely erase the affection you once had for him.

That sort of sums up how I feel about the 4th of July funeral celebration this year. 

Before our move from a house in the city, we flew Old Glory almost constantly, even going to the trouble of lighting it at night.  On holidays such as the 4th we would add the Gadsden flag or the Culpeper flag below it.  When we moved, I considered installing a flag pole here on our new property, but seeing the handwriting on the wall, I held off.  It seemed that it might only find use in raising those flags from the War of Independence - and of course those flags are in the process of being re-defined as racist, so...

One thing is certain though, if we did have a flagpole, Old Glory would only be ascending half way this 4th of July.  Think of it as paying respect to a fallen hero.

In Memory

 

LORD have Mercy

For more on this topic I heartily recommend these articles from men I respect:
JD Hall
Doug Wilson