July 4: Of citizenship, rights and responsibilities

2 Kings 23:31-25:30

Acts 22:17-23:10

Psalm 2:1-12

Proverbs 18:13

I meant to avoid writing a cliche reflection that involved citizenship, but when, in today's reading, we saw Paul about to get flogged, but for the fact he revealed he was a citizen of Rome, I thought "what the heck".  

Today is Independence Day in the US.  The 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, when people from 13 colonies decided to sever ties with their home country and form their own nation, with its own set of rights...and responsibilities.  The rights are nice - they give us the freedom to do things.  The responsibilities we sometimes forget...but they are there, and to be fully citizens, as we enjoy the rights, we have to meet the responsibilities as well.  Sometimes those responsibilities are easy...sometimes less so.  Some of these others impose upon us.  Taxes - I mean, who really wants to pay them?  Or - when invoked - the selective service (aka the draft)...I am reasonably certain there were many whose service was required who would have preferred to have been doing something else.  Some of them are self imposed, as was the case with 19 year old Christian West Point cadet Tom Surdyke who, when in the ocean recently was, together with a friend, caught in a rip tide.  Tom felt the need to keep his friend afloat - he ended up swallowing too much water.  He passed away as a result of his actions, the choices he made, the obligations he took upon himself.  

Today's readings are rife with reminders of the privileges and obligations of citizenship.  Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin were kings of a nation called apart and consecrated to God; they enjoyed His protection and prosperity, but then refused to acknowledge their responsibilities - to acknowledge Him as the One True God.  And they suffered the consequence.  Paul's situation was interesting - he invoked the rights of His Roman citizenship to avoid the injustice the Jews wanted to inflict upon him as he fulfilled his responsibilities as a citizen of God's kingdom.  I wonder if he knew his Roman citizenship would protect him...nonetheless things got to the point he was stretched out to be flogged before he was saved.  Talk about close shaves - which he seemed prepared to suffer.  

A few brothers and I are going through a book - 7 Men, by Eric Metaxas.  Today's chapter discussed Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian who recognized that hi citizenship both on earth and in heaven called him to a course of action that could (and eventually did) cost him his earthly life.  He was part of what has come to be known as Operation Valkyrie, the plot assassinate Hitler, seize control and cease hostilities with the Allies.  The assassination failed, Bonhoeffer - a pastor and theologian - was arrested, and he was hanged on Hitler's direct orders.  In the book, Metaxas writes "Bonhoeffer really believed that obeying God - even unto death - was the only way to live.  And it was the only way to defeat evil.  In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, he wrote 'When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.'"

Bonhoeffer, Paul, even Tom Surdyke, all appreciated and embraced the responsibilities of citizenship in God's kingdom.  As I celebrate the 240th anniversary of this, my adopted country's independence, may I willingly, wholeheartedly embrace the responsibilities of my heavenly citizenship, that I might enjoy its rights and privileges as well.