February 18th, 2019

February 18, 2019
 
              Happy Presidents’ Day! If you are my age or older, you probably remember when we celebrated both George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays without holidays when banks, post offices, and government entities were closed. They also weren’t “sales events.”
              Instead of all these trappings, those birthdays were occasions to think about two of the great men who established and preserved our nation despite horrible odds. I hope that you know a lot about Washington and Lincoln and honor them along with other Presidents who made the right choices and did the right things in relation to our country.
              You cannot study Washington and Lincoln without understanding that they were both Christian men who knew that our country needed to truly be “one nation under God” and to remember those roots. The whole concept of a democracy within a republic as conceived by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson (two more Presidents whose faith and dedication is part of our heritage) was based on Christian concepts of the dignity of the individual.
              Every one of these men believed in freedom of religion and would never allow people to be persecuted or denied freedom because they did not agree with every Christian concept. However, they also knew that everyone, no matter what their faith, needed to respect the Christian ideals underlying the country.
              We are living in a very volatile time. Disagreement and non-cooperation seem to be rampant and unbeatable. What can Christian people -- who have enough worries and challenges in their own lives -- do to honestly be of help in such a society?
              Again, it is time to “walk at the speed of light,” to turn to our Savior and take a good look at what He would do and say in reaction to our people’s troubles? If you were in church yesterday, you probably heard the Beatitudes, whether as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew or the sermon on the “level ground” in Luke.
              There is the answer – straight from the Lord’s mouth – that if Christian people are meek, merciful, righteous, pure in heart and peacemakers, they can not only be saved but can follow Him in a way that changes the world. What a thought for today – that power and riches are not the answer but instead all of Jesus’ concept of love is what we need, both as individuals and citizens.