Church and Patriotism

Many people have grown up in churches that celebrated various national holidays, and it may surprise some people when The Grove does not. The reason for this is simple: The Grove Church is not a national institution. It is completely appropriate for individuals and families to spend time celebrating and we encourage it!  But, as a church, we are all about the Kingdom of God.  The whole purpose of our existence is to point people to the Kingdom of God and to learn to live together as members of the Kingdom of God.  We are not here to celebrate the kingdom of the USA or of any other country.

Now, some may feel offended by this, claiming that we should set aside time to thank God for our country and for the freedom that we have in this country.  There is nothing inherently wrong with gratefulness expressed to God for where we live and for the freedoms that we have. However, making this a focus of a time set aside for and devoted to God attaches our worship to a result that we have experienced, not to God's character as God.  The message of God's faithfulness is not attached to nationalistic pride but to His character, His grace, His goodness to us. The message of the gospel is universal; it applies to any person in any culture.  As such, our worship should be accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world.  Could a believer in any other part of the world sing the same songs that we sing at a "patriotic" service?  If they could not, why would we sing them here?  We are part of a bigger church than just the American church.  We worship a bigger God than just the American God.

As we examine the life of Jesus, we never see him drawing lines within political circles, calling people to be better Israelites or even decrying the evils of Rome.  He never called upon people to overthrow a government or form a new one.  He called all people to His Father.  He preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand and we should give up everything else to pursue it.  Jesus pulls our gaze away from our present surroundings and implores us to look forward to what is coming!

There is nothing inherently wrong with patriotism.  It is a good thing to be proud of our country of origin.  It is a good thing to thank God for what we have and to recognize the sacrifices that have been made to get it.  But it is not the place of the church to draw attention to any kingdom other than God's Kingdom.