Symbol of Freedom and Justice

I keep the flag which draped my father’s casket, neatly folded in its triangle on a shelf in my closet. I occasionally think to myself, “Liz, you need to stop by the craft store and pick up a display case.” But then a busy schedule takes over and there it continues to rest. My father, a veteran of World War II, wouldn’t mind all that much. Flags, I was taught by him, should either be displayed correctly or not at all.  It’s not a bedspread nor a wall hanging. It’s certainly not a swimsuit nor a pair of shorts. T-shirts are even questionable in my humble opinion. It’s my country’s flag and while I fully support the right for someone to wear it or to burn it (Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, 1989), it won’t be me – even if I am outraged which is most of the time, I confess. For me, the American flag, stands for freedom and justice. It is my visual reminder that democracy lives and encourages me to think about what is possible for us as a country. My father’s flag reminds me of the sacrifice so many have made on behalf of our imperfect democracy.  And I am grateful.

But boy howdy, I do believe that our symbol of freedom and justice, our symbol of what is best about these United States, is grubby and frayed. It all feels so fragile to me. We are a country so angry and full of hate. Our desire to be right overwhelms our ability to listen carefully, critically, and thoughtfully.  Our anger and hate unsurprisingly devolves into violence as witnessed by the recent assassination attempt of President Donald Trump, a Republican candidate for the presidency, injuring two civilians – Mr. David Dutch and Mr. James Copenhaver and resulted in the deaths of Mr. Corey Comperatore and lastly that of the shooter, himself.

Many readers will remember the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy (presidential candidate) and the attempts on President Gerald Ford’s life. My first real memory of an assassination attempt was the shooting of former President Ronald Regan. I can recall the news footage. I also remember how that moment and President Regan’s temperament, grounded us all in our country’s core values; into a united front of shared disbelief and outrage no matter one’s political point of view.

It does not feel that way to me today. We are united only in blaming and finding faults and pointing our fingers. We are reduced to they and them – to “othering.”

But there is no they or them. It is us. I look in the mirror and it is me. It is you. It is me. It is all of us together. Oh, my sisters and brothers, my siblings in Christ we are such poor reflections of God’s love and hope for the world. Families are broken, communities are divided, congregational fellowship feels fragile, pastors are at a loss. Our conflict wounds not only the soul of our country, but our very souls are wounded. Thank God, we find forgiveness in the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ who lived, died, and was resurrected for us. But Presbyterians do not believe in a cheap grace. Grace calls us to full repentance, a turning away of sin, a complete change of orientation. Action follows grace. This week I ask us all to commit to the following:

• Be swift to listen, and slow to speak, listen attentively to one another’s concerns and perspectives with humility and compassion. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
• Speak truth in love and use our words to build up and reconcile rather than to divide.
• Seek reconciliation and healing through genuine repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
• Commit to prayer for wisdom and guidance. True wisdom, according to James, comes from God and is characterized by purity, peaceableness, gentleness, and open-mindedness (James 3:17-18). When faced with conflicts, let us seek God’s wisdom through prayer and the study of His Word, trusting in His guidance to navigate challenging situations.

Friends, I know my words are inadequate, but my hope and prayer is that with the power of the Holy Spirit, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God that we will begin the work of healing our wounded souls and that of our country’s. Remember to love kindness, to do justice, and to walk humbly with our God.

Peace,
Rev. Liz Rolf Kanerva
Associate Presbytery Leader