God of Our Fathers

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

The hymn we just sang, 501 in the hymnal, was written in the year 1876. That was the year of the 100th anniversary of the founding of our nation, something we celebrate today over 100 more years later. This hymn was written for the celebration going on at that time and the author even had some thoughts of this becoming a new national anthem. Obviously that didn’t happen but this hymn does capture well how we can celebrate the Forth of July as Christians. We can celebrate not only in the freedom we enjoy as a nation but the freedom won for us in Christ Jesus.

The God of Our Fathers. This hymn begins by drawing our attention to the past. This last week my family and I had the privilege to travel back to my hometown, Onalaska, Wisconsin. Not by birthplace but the place I call home. I lived there from early grade school through High School and know the place well.

We spent time with my grandmother who now lives in an apartment but still in Onalaska. We sat out on the porch and talked about many things. It was like the many times I had growing up to be with her since she lived just a block away. We shared and swatted mosquitoes, another Wisconsin pastime and I remarked about how humid it was. (Got to love the dryer climate here in Colorado)

We had opportunity to go down to the riverfront in LaCrosse and see the Mighty Mississippi. There was a Riverfest celebration we attended which was celebrating the Fourth of July as well. As part of the celebration many paddleboats came by and were docked and many people dressed in period costumes from the 1800’s. Across the river channel I could see Pettibone Park, a place my family had gone fishing many times. I don’t remember what we caught but I do remember spending time on the river with my family.

We had a chance to see the house I grew up in the see the schools I attended and to see the other sites that were still very familiar to me. And we saw the changes as well, the new shops and homes going up in areas I remembered as open fields, coulees (valleys), and bluffs (mini mountains).

But the highlight of my trip was the opportunity to attend worship at the church I grew up in. The church my family was really involved in and in which I was confirmed. It was great to worship there and still see some familiar faces. My family sat in the pew chairs; hey wait a minute, I thought we had old pews from another church. I guess it was time for new things. While the service was going on I looked up to the front where four windows faced the east and had a spectacular view of the bluffs. But these windows now have stained glass in them depicting Jesus as a Shepherd which fits with the name of our church – Shepherd of the Hills. Things had changed but the foundation was still there. The Gospel was still proclaimed in our worship not unlike what we are celebrating today. There was a comfort to know that the place in my past that I called home was important to me because it laid the foundation of my faith. That is the meaning of the phrase – God of our Fathers.

The God of our Fathers is a connection for us to the past, the present and the future, and this hymn conveys that. The God of our Fathers is the one in which we hear of His works of old. The God who created the world though His word. The God who led Abraham to a new promised land. The God who directed Moses to free the people from slavery in Egypt. The God who chose David to be a mighty king for Israel. The God who led Peter, Paul and the apostles to proclaim Jesus to the world. This God of our Fathers is our God as well. We look to the past not to glory in it, not to live in it, but to remind us that we have a God who fulfills His promises. He is the God of our history, or really we can say His-story.

This same God whose almighty hand led our Fathers on their way is the God who will led us on our way. I related to you some of my past because I know that I get my identity from where I grew up. People have commented to me over the years of a phrase I would say when I do something for them. I would say, “No problem” as a response to a request for me to do something. When I was back in Onalaska it struck me that I started hearing that phrase used all the time by others. That phrase became part of my identity because of my past.

We as Christians have an identity in the past acts of God. We are His children and act in a manner that has been handed down to us through God’s Word by our “Fathers” We are a new creation in Christ – the past informs our present. How can we see through a crisis we may be facing, by knowing that God saw our Fathers through crisis’ in the past. The past give us confidence in the here and now. The third stanza of the hymn talks about war and deadly pestilence. It is amazing that whenever we hear that phrase that we can picture something in the here and now that fits that. Whether it is the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, or some of the storms we have faced this spring season in our nation or the conflict we may be facing in our homes – this stanza shows to us that we have a God that will see us through. The God of our Fathers is our God in the here and now.

And he is the God that has a future plan for us. The final stanza talks about seeing God face to face. That is our eternal reward. It is a hope for the future. It is what drives us on in our daily life, knowing we are journeying to a better place. The God of our Fathers, who was faithful, is the God who is with us now and the God who will fulfill the promise to take us home to be with Him. That is the hope we have, the hope in Jesus Christ.

The story of Jesus, of His sacrifice for us through death and resurrection, is the story we pass on to every generation. I can remember my past with fondness and remember with joy the life I had in Onalaska. But it pales in comparison to the story of Jesus who has changed my life and yours. The God of our Fathers is our God, is the God we pass on to the future. He is the one who gives us true freedom. Today we celebrate the freedom of our nation and we give thanks to God for that. But we also can be eternally grateful for the freedom over sin, death and the power of the Devil won for us in Jesus. That is the God of our Fathers and our God today. Amen.