September 15, 2019

Constitution Day
Pentecost 14, Year C
Deacon Cindy Roehl

Today is Constitution Day a national holiday to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. As a result of the American Revolution the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain, becoming the United States of America.

As a result of that revolutionary war, the Constitution of the United State of America set up a government that has held our country together for 232 years. And this morning we are pleased to have with us members of the local Daughters of the American Revolution as well as the local chapters’ Sons of the American Revolution to help us remember that day. Thank you for joining us this morning.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is an organization with a deeply rich history while also being truly relevant in today’s world. More than 930,000 women have joined the organization since it was founded on October 11, 1890. They became members to honor their heritage as well as make a difference in their communities across the country and the world. They, like many of us, are proud of their American heritage. Why?

In a letter to George Washington, John Hancock wrote: “The American republic was founded on a set of beliefs that were tested during the Revolutionary War. Among them was the idea that all people are Created equal, whether European, Native American, or African American, and that these people have fundamental rights, such as liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and freedom of assembly.”

Our Founding Fathers actually embedded this Principle in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are Created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

To stand up for and defend these beliefs, those who fought in the American Revolution suffered injustice, bodily harm and death. But the independence from Britain and the government that our Founding Fathers formed as a result brought great celebration and a sense of pride that has carried through well over two centuries.

Ours is not the only citizenship which has an ancestral heritage to be proud of. I know some of you are from a different heritage and culture and have reason to be proud of your ancestry, as well.

And there is another heritage we can look to as members of the Body of Christ. In Him we see God, our Heavenly Father, who loves us greatly. It’s been said that God loves you so much that, if he had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. Because of that love he sent His Son, Jesus, the Christ, (the Messiah), who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth…

Read the full sermon text HERE.

 

WORSHIP BULLETINS ADDITIONAL SERMONS