Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The Beauty of Liberty


Since I got down off my soapbox of the last post, I've been thinking about a visit that Lee and I made to New York a few years back.  I just went back and checked out the journaling I did in my scrapbook afterwards.  Here's what I wrote.


Our visit to the Statue of Liberty helped me reflect on my identity as an American Christian. Her inscription reads: 
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus, 1883

She is to America what Christ is to the Kingdom of God:  an open door for the nations. God has used our country, our freedom, and our open door in mighty ways to give individuals from every tribe, tongue, people and nation access to the light of the Gospel.  It is our privilege to have the opportunity to share His love with the world right at our own doorstep.  Along with this privilege comes the reality that our society is truly diverse, and our government reflects our society.  My prayer is that God would give His people an even greater passion to see His kingdom come--not by externally imposing "Christian values" on people who don't have a clue who He is, but by introducing them to the Savior who says, "Come to me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

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