But behind
each strike of the match is a competition between men like no other. Just as
nations show off their military strength through their military parades, the
men of America proudly march their arsenal of fireworks to the streets each
fourth of the July, sizing up their munitions with the Jones’s down the street. Buried inside each neighbor is the hidden
agenda to make the biggest boom. With each
new fountain or mortar, we peer down the street to see if we have stolen the
attention of the neighborhood kids from their own family’s display of
pyrotechnics. Every man knows that you
win this display of might by turning the heads of the neighbor kids. The man that stands the proudest is the one
who has the largest crowd of strangers standing at the end of his driveway at
the end of the night as neighbors you have never met before wander innocently
down the street to gaze at your colorful display of fire. But, every once in awhile, an amateur takes
the trophy home early in reckless passion for the night by simply setting off
all the car alarms within a square mile with a homemade concoction of years
gone by firework duds.
Independence Day,
what a day. I have had some great ones
in the past. Just last year, my brother
and I combined forces, producing enough black powder to reenact our own British
invasion. We gave new meaning to the
saying, “Christmas in July”, as we lit up the night.
As we tilt our
heads up this year, looking to the skies in remembrance of those who have paid
the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, I encourage you to also turn your head
to the cross.
There, in the
middle of a sunny afternoon, the skies began to darken, as the life of our Jesus
began to leave his body. He could have
displayed his might and fought off his foes, but he chose to let them have
their way with him. He could have called
down a legion of angels and decimated the entire area, but he hung there with
the dark skies canvassing the background, that was the canopy to his breathless
life.
His means of
setting us free is not like our own. We
fight for freedom while this man, our God gave his life to set us free.
Galatians 5:1
reminds us exactly why Christ set us free, “For freedom, Christ has set you
free; stand firm therefore and do not submit yourselves to a yoke of slavery.”
Carry on with
your fire work shows, but remember this as you celebrate Independence Day, your
freedom is only temporary if Christ has not set you free.
