Matthew 5:13-16
There are several Neil Diamond songs that I always sing along with. Of course, there is “Sweet Caroline,” every time I watch a Red Sox game! And then there is “Coming to America.” Maybe you remember it.
Coming to America. Millions of people have come to America over the past 6 centuries. And they have come for all sorts of reasons. Some came seeking religious freedom. Others came to escape the life of poverty they were trapped in. Still others came for investment opportunities. And some came as refugees during times of war in their native countries.
When Puritan John Winthrop came to America in 1630, he was headed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which had been established a decade earlier. Winthrop was coming to a colony that had been established for the purpose of religious freedom. The Puritans had their own ideas about what that meant, of course. It basically meant religious freedom for Puritans; people with other beliefs were politely asked to leave, and if that did not work, they were put on trial and banished. This was the experience of Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams.
Before he landed on the shores of Massachusetts, while still on board the ship Arbella, Winthrop preached a sermon entitled, A Model of Christian Charity. In that sermon, Winthrop encouraged the colonists to think of themselves as a “city upon a hill” being watched by the world. He believed that they should set an example of communal charity, affection, and unity for the world. Winthrop’s speech would lead to the widespread belief that America is “God’s country,” because it is metaphorically a city upon a hill for the rest of the world to look up to. Politicians as varied as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Gary Bauer, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Ted Cruz have used this image in speeches.
But what does it mean for America to be a “city upon a hill”? What kind of America are we really talking about? An America that embraces the Puritan ideals? I’m not sure I would want a country limited to the Puritan vision for humankind!
What kind of country do we want? That is a question that has been asked and answered over and over again in the history of America, and it is a question that will continue to be asked in future generations. That is because we are constantly confronted with new and different situations and circumstances that our ancestors never thought of or anticipated. And we have to respond to these circumstances with new visions and ideals of what America will be.
What kind of country do we want? That was a question asked in the days leading up to the American Revolution. We had decided that we did not want to belong to England any more, but desired our independence. But that meant establishing some kind of government. And so the colonies aligned themselves together under the Articles of Confederation. Then, after the war was won, the 13 states sent representatives to the Constitutional Convention, which convened in May of 1787. George Washington was elected to preside over the convention. And the delegates began the work of creating our Constitution. There were many contentious debates, around issues such as the election of the Senate, whether to give executive power to just one person or to three, how to elect the president, whether to allow the abolition of the slave trade, and how judges were to be selected. But finally a document was completed and sent to the states for ratification. Even then, the work wasn’t finished. Americans have voted in favor of 27 amendments to the Constitution, out of 33 that have been proposed.
What kind of country do we want? This question was asked by Americans in the north and the south during the early decades of the 19th century. And they answered the question differently depending on what part of the country they lived in. The southern states felt that states should have more rights to determine their own affairs, including the owning of slaves. The northern states were becoming more industrial, while the south remained agricultural. Eventually these differences led to the outbreak of the Civil War. I think of the determination of President Abraham Lincoln to preserve the Union, no matter what it cost. And the cost was dear, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead or injured on both sides.
On November 19, 1863, four months after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln and other dignitaries gathered to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg. He stood and spoke for just over two minutes. In his speech, Lincoln said,
In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it … The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so far nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
What kind of country do we want? That question was asked by abolitionists for decades before the Civil War, as they worked for the emancipation of all those who were held in slavery in America. They believed that all men were created equal, and that “all” meant “all.” Their dream began to come true when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order, on January 1, 1863. This order freed the three million persons held as slaves in designated areas of the Confederacy. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution went into effect in December of 1865, and it finally ended slavery throughout the United States.
What kind of country do we want? This question was asked by women who gathered in July, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were the principal organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. About a hundred people were in attendance, and two-thirds were women. One of their goals was to win the right to vote. The suffrage movement grew out of that convention. Another early advocate was Susan B. Anthony of Massachusetts. It would not be until August 26, 1920 that the 19th Amendment would be passed, granting women full voting rights nationally.
What kind of country do we want? That question faced America in the days leading up to and after the start of World War I. Americans were not inclined to get involved in this foreign war, thinking it had nothing to do with us. Woodrow Wilson had won re-election with the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” But American opinion would change. There was news of atrocities in Belgium in 1914 and the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915. In early 1917, Germany resumed all-out submarine warfare on all commercial ships headed to England, even though they knew this would probably lead to war with the United States. German U-boats began sinking American ships in the North Atlantic. And finally Wilson asked Congress for “a war to end all wars” that would “make the world safe for democracy.” And Congress voted to declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917. We would help win that war, and another one just over 20 years later. America would not sit on the sidelines, but would come to the assistance of our allies militarily.
What kind of country do we want? The Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment had freed the slaves, but it had not led to true equality for African Americans. There was work still to be done. And so grew the Civil Rights Movement, with the goals of ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of their civil rights. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and other activities. The movement produced results, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But as we all know, there is still work to be done.
What kind of country do we want? The efforts to win equal rights has continued for other groups as well, including recent work on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. There has been much progress, including equal marriage rights nationwide that was won in June of last year. But again, there is much work to be done.
What kind of country do we want? We continue to ask and answer that question in each generation. And the need to ask and answer it will be present as long as our nation exists. We can only hope to become a “city upon a hill” in light of the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, in which he spoke those words about the Christian community. Jesus went on to call us to not only refrain from murder, but to not even be angry with another person. He called us to not only refrain from committing adultery, but to not allow ourselves to lust after someone. Jesus taught us to avoid seeking revenge, to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, to be humble when giving to others, and to store up our treasure in heaven rather than on earth. We are not to judge other people, and we are to do for others as we want them to do for us. This kind of vision for God’s kingdom, for the church, can also be a vision for America.
What kind of country do you want? I want a country that is respected and admired, not for its military might, but for its compassion and ethical behavior. I want a country where all people really are equal, and where people choose not to judge each other. I want a country where we show mercy and where we believe that there are things more valuable than money. I believe that kind of country is one that people around the world would look to as an example. I believe that kind of country is one that people will want to come to.
