“But our citizenship is in heaven. And it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20 NRSV)
He strolled confidently into my high school first period Spanish class, like he was strolling onto a yatch. A sophisticated teenager who spoke French, Spanish and English because his father was a diplomat assigned to the consulate in Detroit, he had dual passports. He flashed one from Spain, the country of his birth, and one from France, the country of his mother’s heritage. I stared at them in amazement. I didn’t even have a passport, only a birth certificate issued by Wayne County. I never knew you could be a citizen of two different countries. He was living in Michigan under the diplomatic visa for his family. Since I am not shy with strangers, I asked some poignant questions to discover: His family spoke mostly French at home because it was the language of his mother (who also swore in French), and his father swore in Spanish (his country of birth) but in public they all spoke English. He had attended private schools in Europe where he learned English. Definitely a cut above us all, in European clothing with an air of entitlement he was a teenager of the world. He planted a seed about the possibilities of what citizenship and belonging to a larger community means.
Years later during my attempted day trading, I encounter financial newsletter writers who considered themselves “citizens of the world” or global citizens. Defined as an individual who is aware of the world and has a sense of their role in it while participating in communities at all levels, I had a sneaky hunch that these folks were more about financial success in any nation they could find it, rather than engaging in meaningful citizenship at local level, or worse a new colonialism. Still, there are people in the world who consider citizenship very differently from what I learned in civics class. These individuals seek out progressive and inclusive countries with strong financial resources for their allegiance. And so, the new goal is to have multiple passports to give one free and safe access to the world at large. I hope this is more than just about money or power, but rather influence for the greater good. I don’t think any of these global citizens is applying to get a passport to any impoverished nation of the world.
These mixed thoughts are all background for me to what Paul describes about Christians in Philippians: We are citizens of heaven. I don’t believe this just means something in the future after my death where, at the pearly gates, St. Peter stamps my Christian passport I have secretly carried since baptism and I am welcomed in. Rather, I believe it is a primary allegiance to the Triune God and the principles of God’s Realm where everyone acts in perfect accord for the benefit of others. This is the message Jesus came to share—take care of one another because God loves us all. I can achieve some of this through private donations to causes I believe in and acts of charity, but I can also achieve this through political action by being a responsible citizen. That was what the civil rights movement of the 60’s was all about. I view citizenship as my responsibility to work for the good of my community, locally, in the state I reside, and nationally. I leave the rest up to God and try not to get ahead of myself or God.
We have arrived at a tipping point in the political history of the USA. We are all still processing the attempted coup on January 6th and what to do about it. As a new administration begins, we have much work to do. We are still in a global pandemic and vaccine needs to get to out to the people. We have American lives at risk for health, housing, and financial security and we need economic relief. We have a divided Republican party (this is not the party I grew up knowing—topic for another blog!) and conservatives in our country are not being adequately or honestly represented in our democratic republic. We have the process and the resources to work through our issues and problems. Let’s get back to civil civics!
I will always be a citizen of God’s Kingdom, and as such, this challenging time has empowered me with a new commitment to work as a citizen of the USA to promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and to strive for a more perfect union. Maybe in the striving for the illusive more perfect union we will learn about what really matters most and how best to achieve it together. The 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution serves as a good guide to drawing lines. (Google it!) We need some laws to prevent chaos and destruction from others who do not have a good understanding of the rules and process for our governance. If we are to heal, we must also hold those accountable for this coup. The new congress will need to hit the floor running.
My first allegiance is to God’s Realm. I am a Lutheran member of the cult Jesus-Messiah. I want everyone to know that the Right Evangelical Christian Movement as represented by the press, does not represent me. Christians come in all packages (topic for another blog). Paul was a Jew and a Roman Citizen. For him it was not easy, but he was comfortable with the struggle. I am comfortable with being both a Christian and a citizen of the USA with moderate to liberal political views. I trust you can respect that. The world is too big a place, and I am not ready for global citizenship. That is too much work. At my age, I only have a little time left to give to one country on earth, but I am willing to work together knowing it will be challenging work in our current political climate. I ask God to help and guide me as I engage other citizens and elected officials respectfully. I have a voice and I intend to use it.
Call to Action:
Pray for the safe transfer of power this week in the US Capital and for safety for all citizens in all of our nation and especally in our state capitols. Pray for safety, strength, wisdom and courage for all men and women who protect our civil liberties with their work and their lives.
And also do some soul searching. How are you going to respond to the attempted coup? Tell us your thoughts!
My prayers were answered in that yesterday’s Inauguration on Wed., Jan. 20, went just fine. I understand they needed to follow it all through but I was frightened after the seige on Jan. 6th and hoped they would hold it in a more secure location. Just so grateful that God is watching over America and we now have caring adults back in charge. It’s been an unbelievable 4 years and there is so much to un-do. Stay safe, Jackie. Guess you heard we have a new minister coming to St. Martin’s in Feb.?- Heidi.
Thanks Heidi for sharing. I was at work during the Inaugurtution, but i trusted that all the security forces would work to ensure the safety of your new President and Vice President. We are blessed that the former President was such a poor leader that the coup failed. Now we have to work for accountablity. See my next blog! Blessings as your work for justice!- Jackie Ann.