Monday Morning Musings by Pastor Ron - June 29, 2026
Friends,
Happy Birthday!! What a big week we have in America this week. Saturday marks the 250th birthday of this country we call home. I am sure that there will be some sort of entertainment that every one of you will find enjoyable. Whether it is a concert, or picnic, or fireworks. This celebration will be extraordinary.
But birthdays are more than just parties. They are more than just opportunities to get together for a meal. They also are important times for us to reflect.
- they are an opportunity for us to review where we have been. America has come a long way from thirteen small colonies to fifty states and 338 million people. Yet we are still very much the same. We are still a country that is just as diverse as it was in the colonies. We are still a country of people who came here to make their life better. For many of us we grew up here, but we still are able to embrace the dream of a better life.
- birthdays are an opportunity for us to show appreciation for the things we have been able to accomplish. To be thankful for the opportunities that are set in front of us.
- birthdays are a time to think about what we could have accomplished but didn't get around to.
- birthdays are a time to set our vision forward. The year behind us is behind us: what are we going to do next?
As we celebrate our birthday Saturday, let's not forget where we came from. History is an important part of who we are. Let's not fail to look forward to what is possible. The future is why we celebrate the past. Let's not let the celebration of country overpower the gospel message. Our successes and failures are not measured in terms of the world's ways but in terms of the gospel.
Oh, and of course: birthdays are about gifts. We have been given the gift of freedom by living in this country. At least on paper, we are one of the freest countries in the world. Use your gift of freedom to do God's work. Use your gift of freedom for the benefit of others. Paul expressed this well in his letter to the Galatians. "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another" (Galatians 5:13)
We are children of God fortunate to live in a country where we can celebrate the past, look to the future and hold the gospel message as our guiding principle. Happy Birthday. Enjoy your gift of freedom. Use it for God's purposes.
God bless you. See you SundayMy First paragraph with bold text.