With uniform allegiance nephews served their Uncle Sam. And nieces, too, responded to His call. In war and peace time posts each one missed loved ones far away while they took oaths prepared to give their all.
These veterans are a special breed. The risks they took were great. But their service wasn’t always met with thanks. While some lost limbs and some lost lives, still others live half dead from mental wounds they didn’t get in tanks.
To those who served in World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and in Afghanistan, I will salute as you pass by in Veterans Day parades. Through what you did, I’m FREE, Amer-I-CAN!
In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.
A photo of Mount Rainier with blue skies and green meadows
The purple mountain majesties and snow-white Mt. Rainier remind me of what’s grand to me and you. There’s Red Rocks Park and Yellowstone. Mt. Rushmore’s hills are black. And add to that our flag’s red, white and blue.
I recently came across this little rhyme that I penned in my journal a decade ago while pondering our nation’s birthday. At the time it dawned on me that America is not only beautiful. It is also colorful.
To the aforementioned American communities of color, I can add places like Green Lake, Wisconsin, Brownsville, Texas, Silver Springs, Maryland, Goldendale, Washington and Orange, California. But the colorful names of towns are not the only hues that account for what make our nation a thing of beauty. It’s the people!
Just take a close-up look at who we are. We are a polychromatic portrait of humanity. Our ancestors are from Asia, Africa, Europe, North, Central and South America, the Near East and the Far East. And as such, the face of America is a complexion of complexity. We are a cornucopia of cultures and traditions.
My paternal grandfather came to the USA from a rural village in Greece. He was perpetually suntanned. Before arriving on Ellis Island my maternal grandfather hailed from the fjord land of Norway. He was as pale as the white flour used to make his beloved potato lefsa. My Canadian-born wife grew up among darker-skinned schoolmates in Mexico.
When my wife became a U.S. citizen twenty-five years ago, the swearing-in ceremony was a beautiful thing to behold. It felt like I was in the United Nations General Assembly. Those who stood before the judge to take the oath of citizenship were from all over the globe. The judge, by his own admission, was foreign-born. It was a three-dimensional picture of that phrase inscribed on our money. E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one.
But that experience in a Chicago courtroom in 2000 was not an isolated one. The congregations I have served over the past half-century were part of a denomination with roots in Sweden but comprised of people whose relatives were found in most every continent. Potluck dinners were a potpourri of fascinating taste sensations. Stories of faith journeys shared in our newcomers classes were like individual shards of colored glass in a stained-glass window. I realized how the diversity of our growing church was a picture of the Kingdom of God globally.
There was a song we sang as kids in Sunday school that celebrated the multi-ethnic nature of the community of faith. Maybe you sang it, too. “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, brown, yellow, black and white. They’re all precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” At first blush it wasn’t all that theologically profound. But when you stop and think about it, those lyrics are incredibly significant.
All persons are created in the image of our Creator. As such every human life has worth and is deserving of dignity and respect. Each has a story and a context deserving to be heard and appreciated. Each brings a distinct flavor to Uncle Sam’s birthday picnic that is needed.
This year, as we grill those brown brats and cut green watermelons into red slices, I invite you to savor the beauty of being part of a community and nation that is comprised of an ethnic tapestry of colors and cultures that makes us the unique and wonderful corner of the globe we love.
In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…”
Remember when we flew the flag with pomp and circumstance? We honored dear Old Glory with much pride. We pledged allegiance standing tall with hands across our hearts acknowledging the soldiers who have died.
One day a year we took the time to recognize our flag and teach our children what it represents. But now it seems those times are past. The 14th day of June is just another day. It really makes no sense!
Our stars and stripes are still the means of picturing our past while calling out our best symbolically: a God-blessed nation unified where there is room for all from east to west, from sea to shining sea.
In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on YouTube at My Rhymes and Reasons.
Am I the only one who approaches this month of giving thanks grateful that the campaign season is over? I’m guessing not. The multitude of ads has been maddening. The content of the candidates’ commercials has been controversial. The name calling and character attacks has been juvenile. Regardless of what network you choose for your daily diet of news, what’s been served up the past several months has been anything but nourishing. In spite of the outcome of this week’s election, our United States of America will be anything but.
I am reminded of the words of a first century carpenter-turned-rabbi who said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Although Abraham Lincoln used that famous line in one of his memorable campaign speeches, it was Jesus of Nazareth who coined the expression. What is true for a family or a congregation of the faithful is also true for a nation. A nation divided is terminally ill.
As I reflect on Jesus’ teaching and values, I’m convinced that the antidote to alienation is understanding, forgiveness and compassion. Divisions are healed as we love our neighbors to the degree we love ourselves and to the degree we treat them the way we desire to be treated. How we engage or distance ourselves from those who see life differently than we do has lasting ramifications. Our ongoing attitude and actions toward our political rivals will impact us as well as them. Active animosity can poison the well of friendship within a family, in a faith community or in a work environment.
In her bestselling book “A Team of Rivals” presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin chronicles how Abraham Lincoln chose men who had run against him in his 1860 campaign to serve in his cabinet. The book focuses on our sixteenth president’s mostly successful attempts to reconcile conflicting personalities and political factions on the path to abolition and victory in the American Civil War.
Acknowledging conflict and conflicting views rather than ignoring them, Lincoln proactively engaged the divisions and challenges he faced. He recognized to what degree cooperation depended on him and then made choices accordingly. Our country’s most popular president was no doubt familiar what Saint Paul wrote to the first century Christians in Rome: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
As a man of the cloth who resists addressing political issues from the pulpit, I have come to the conclusion that the results of this year’s election will not thwart the sovereign plan of the Almighty. And in the broad scheme of human history, the individual the Electoral College will select will not matter as much as we might think. A look back at presidents over nearly two-hundred-and-fifty years will bear that out.
Granted, the person who will inhabit the White House for the next four years may or may not be the person whose candidacy you supported. The fact that they will lead from that residence is obviously significant. That person will influence the future direction of our republic. Their personal values and worldview will determine what is prioritized and what is put on the back burner.
All the same it is my personal belief that the person who is about to move into the White House matters less than the individuals who currently live in your house. Our nation’s future ultimately depends on the character qualities being shaped and practiced by you and your family in your neighborhood and in your community. Who you are, how you think, what you say, how you act and how you react will have a far more lasting impact on our nation than the temporary inhabitants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
You matter more than you may think. As we have been reminded in recent weeks, your vote matters. It is your voice in a democratic republic. But even after all the votes have been tabulated, the fabric of your friendship, faith and compassion is what clothes the future of the nation we love regardless of who is our president.
The Stars and Stripes are remind us of our heritage as a nation
GOD, BLESS AMERICA. Would you please, Lord? But not because we deserve Your blessings. We know we don’t. You’d never guess it though, by the way we sing those words. It almost sounds like we are demanding something from You. Even the man who wrote our country’s unofficial anthem forget to put a comma after the D and before the B. Forgive us, Father, for the cavalier way we so often invoke Your name or attempt to order You around.
LAND THAT I LOVE. It’s true. In spite of the fact that she is far from perfect, we love this country of contrasting contours. Its amber fields of grain that wave in the wind. Its majestic purple mountains that attempt to steal our breath (and succeed most of the time). Its dry desert valleys and orchard-filled plains. Its Great Lakes and Badlands. Its farmlands and cities. Ranch houses and penthouses. From the brownstones of inner cities to the White House in the city named for our first President, we love this land where the seeds of freedom continue to grow 248 years after they were first sown.
STAND BESIDE HER. Because freedom has flourished and produced the fruit of prosperity, ingenuity, world influence and peace, our country at times has cockily articulated its self-sufficiency. But since that tragic Tuesday in September nearly twenty-three years back, she has come to recognize just how vulnerable she really is. Please stand beside her. As she continues to fight terrorism and export justice, the continual cost in dollars and human lives leaves her dizzy and in need of support. Deep within her fractured soul she knows she needs You. Without Your overshadowing Presence, freedom’s fruit will no longer grow for future generations to enjoy.
AND GUIDE HER. Yes, Lord, please guide her. Our beloved nation has never needed a compass like she does today. She is confused, disoriented, at times divided and too-often double-minded. Unsure of what she stands for, she is prone to fall for anything that presents itself as halfway believable. Time was when she looked to Your dictates for direction. Back then the Bible was her road map. The Ten Commandments were her milepost. But bending over backwards in order to be tolerant of every imaginable point of view, she has become a victim of moral vertigo.
THROUGH THE NIGHT. Even though the nightmare of September 11th has passed, the twilight zone of war continues to eclipse the promise of a new day we all long for. The crescent moon in the dark sky overhead reminds us of the religious diversity that is at once foundational to our democracy but also a threat. The chill of fear and death has us nervously praying for the dawn.
WITH THE LIGHT. There are glimpses of light all around us, Father. Candles in churches. Spotlights on flags. A kaleidoscope of colored fireworks exploding overhead. They remind us of the hope that we have in You (and our fellow citizens) when we are engulfed by black storm clouds of political debate or are forced to walk through the valley of death’s dark shadows.
FROM ABOVE. But candles burn out and fireworks are temporary. Even spotlights eventually have to be replaced. Only Your light, O Lord, can dispel the darkness that we most fear. Eternal Son of God, would You be so kind and merciful to focus Your brilliant rays in our direction? With laser-like precision, please penetrate the membrane of apathy and anxiety that blankets our nation and suffocates our joy.
FROM THE MOUNTAINS. From Mt. McKinley to Pike’s Peak, from the Rockies to the Smokies. From the green timbers of Mt. Rainier to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. From Mt. St. Helens in Washington to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Lord, may the glory of Your creation in this breathtaking land cause us to lift up our eyes to the hills and, with the psalmist, sing Your praises as we celebrate our freedom and acknowledge our gratitude today.
TO THE PRAIRIES. Windswept, yet fertile. Wheatland and cornfields boasting rich black soil The heartland of our nation, where hardworking people prove that determination irrigated by sweat and tears is all that is needed to grow the American dream. Although the mountain peaks may, at first blush, seem more exotic, we’re grateful for those who model the skill it takes to tame the earth by farming level ground. Reward their efforts, Lord. And would You teach us to be more grateful for all they do and produce on our behalf?
TO THE OCEANS WHITE WITH FOAM. A nonstop surf that dances effortlessly on a stage of undisturbed beaches. A dance in which every move is choreographed by the moon You hung in the sky. East coast, west coast, left coast, right coast. The Atlantic and the Pacific define the borders of the land called brave and free. And that is because we proudly owned a destiny determined by You. A destiny that manifested a pioneer spirit by which new trails were blazed from east to west until we ran out of land. But our white-foamed oceans are more than water boundaries. They are also the waterways immigrants have traveled in search of a better life. Lord, may You continue to bring to our land those who will enrich us by their varied experiences. Bring also those whose poverty we can eliminate by our bounty and Your grace.
GOD, BLESS AMERICA. It is a simple request, Lord. Yet, it is one we humbly ask. It is a prayer we ask with fervent hope. Knowing what we know, we cannot imagine life in this land apart from Your blessing. Our enemies are few, but deadly. Our vulnerability is unmistakable. Our destiny is solely in Your hands. And so we confess that, unless You bless us, we, in all likelihood, will topple from the pedestal on which we have staked our reputation for nearly a quarter of a millennia. God, would You bless our country? Would You forgive our sin (both personal and national)? Would You heal our land?
MY HOME SWEET HOME. Granted, it is not the only home for those who populate this planet flung into space by Your fingers. But America is our home. She has sheltered us from threat of war and given us a place of belonging. It was in this home You determined we would be born, nursed by moral values, coached in taking our first steps along the open paths of opportunity, coaxed to claim our right to freely speak and encouraged to find our calling in a land where everyone’s voice is heard. Our home sweet home, indeed. And thanks to You, Almighty God, how very sweet it is.
My Rhymes and Reasons 