Two anniversaries in one week!

07 Jul Two anniversaries in one week!

7 July 2026

Two anniversaries in one week! The 250^th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence from Great Britain last Saturday & Leonie & my 37^th wedding anniversary this Thursday. And let’s not forget Olivia’s 5^th birthday! The common happy thread there…we’re all still going & perhaps just getting started! I take great pleasure in learning from families that have more years together than Leonie & I do…they provide hope & encouragement & wisdom. I also take great encouragement in the 250 years of liberty & flourishing that the US founding has fostered…and not just for the US & its people, but in many ways across the globe.

I stumbled across something interesting from a former US President, Calvin Coolidge, from 100 years ago. He was speaking on the 150^th anniversary of that famous 4^th of July, and he noted the following:

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed (by their Creator) with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient…

The massive cultural convulsions of the 21^st century are, as President Coolidge noted, not progress, but regress. They take us backwards into a time when we didn’t recognize & respect each other’s intrinsic honour & dignity, value & worth. They lead to a hierarchy of claims against each other instead of toward a shared set of values & aspirations. They take from us the capacity to declare that which is for the good “good,” & that which is destructive, “bad.”

The workshop I attended last week on Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence ultimately got stuck because they didn’t talk at any length about how without shared moral foundations & values we can’t say with any authority that certain violence (say of a police officer in stopping a violent criminal) is acceptable, while other violence (that which occurs in too many homes & families) is abhorrent & should be stopped with all due haste. The workshop was helpful in that I came away with more resources & relationships to share in our joined struggle to make homes & families places of peace & love…but we are far from real lasting solutions. Our prayers & work goes on.

But I also found some real encouragement in a familiar place; the Bible…Hebrews 13:20-21. It should sound familiar, it’s often used as a blessing at funeral services…but it’s far from a funeral text…just take these words in:

Now may the God of peace — who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, & ratified an eternal covenant with his blood — equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever & ever! Amen.

Look closely at the power in just those few words…and the promise they hold. The writer assures us that God who restores all things & destroys death through the eternal work of Christ, provides all you need for all he requires of you to his glory. Let that assurance lead you through this week…

Some opportunities this week…

• Thursday July 9^th – Ladies Fellowship – We’ll be looking at Romans 8:1-17. We’ll be at Eunice’s house again this month. See you there!
• Sunday July 12^th – we continue our worship & teaching Series: The Sign – The 3^rd of 4 weeks on the prophet Jonah. When people demanded “a sign for proof,” Jesus pointed to Jonah. A reluctant prophet. A pagan city. Three days in the depths. A message nobody expected & results no one imagined. But Jonah was only the beginning. His three days in darkness pointed to Christ’s three days in the tomb. His mission to a city far from God revealed God’s heart for people everywhere. The sign of Jonah reveals a God whose mercy reaches further than we imagine, whose love extends to people we might overlook, & whose call sends us well beyond our comfort zones to engage a broken world with God’s word.
• Sunday July 12^th – Living Water Fellowship Lunch @ The Tolland Hotel immediately after worship. Please let Liz know if you’re going to join us…the Hotel would like to adequately prepare for hungry Lutherans!
• Pam has emailed out the next serving roster! Thanks Pam & thank you one & all for serving so faithfully in so many ways! As always…Every little bit helps. We’re not looking for experts, just folks who’d like a chance to serve & learn in the serving. Even mistakes can be fun. There are a few extras around the Hall so you can grab one there if you don’t do email.

Looking forward to seeing you all in worship again this week!

  John