That’s Right Nate

The 4th of July is very important to me.   On July 4, 1776 General George Washington crossed the Delaware River to surprise the British at a party in Trenton, New Jersey and won our independence from Britain.   We also changed the world forever by becoming the first Democracy where people could vote for their leaders.   This call of freedom sounded all over the world and many other countries like Iraq, Sweden, and even England have since abandoned their monarchies for Democracies.

What’s sad is that in recent years secularists have tried to take the Christ out of July 4th celebrations.   They want to pretend that American is not a Christian country and that our systems of laws and government weren’t patterned after the Bible or that the American Eagle wasn’t chosen as our country’s symbol because by hatching from an egg it was a symbol of the new life we are called to with Jesus.   They would like us to forget that the red on the American flag stands for the blood Jesus shed for all mankind.  They would like to forget that the words “E Pluribus Unum” (In God We Trust) is on all our money.  Do not let them take Jesus out of the 4th of July.   When you see a fireworks display be impressed, but remember those fireworks represent us looking to God for guidance and providence.

As  fun little exercise I have witten a recipe for an American salad.  I think if you read it, you may just find that this recipe has a deeper meaning:

How to Make an American Salad

1. Take 1 pound of British colonists, a half-pound of French colonists, and a half-pound of Indians.   Place in a melting pot until the flavors are thoroughly mixed together.   At this point remove the Indians.  Simmering too long will cause them to get bitter.

2. In a separate melting pot whisk together 4 ounces of  family values, A half-cup of Christianity, A cup of freedom, A quarter-cup of liberty,  and 17 Constitutional amendments chopped finely.

3. Drizzle liquids over mixture in melting pot.

4. Add immigrants from other countries, but make sure none get in the pot without you putting them there.

5. Top with manifest destiny, individualism, perseverance, and conservatism to taste.

This delicious recipe was first made on July 4, 1776 and should serve 300 million.

Happy 4th of July!!

Movies like Groundhog Day have helped to secularize Candlemas.

Like many people this season I enjoyed the heartwarming story of how Christianity’s message was spread using the Christmas Carrol The Twelve Days of Christmas.  There are a lot of seemingly secular holidays and traditions in our society that have a Christian tradition behind them.  In the middle ages Christians throughout Europe were persecuted and in many countries the teaching of Christian doctrine was forbidden.  The Christians of the time being men and women of good faith looked for a way to pass the story of Christ’s resurrection down to their children.

The day which the Europeans called Candlemas Day was full of symbolism.  For those of you that need a refresher, on February 2nd the groundhog comes out of his burrow and looks around.  If he sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter.  If not there will be an early Spring.  This story was used to teach children of how Christ exited the tomb after 40 days.  Those 40 days are represented by the 6 weeks.  The shadow represents the shadow of sin.  Of course Spring represents the new life that Jesus calls us all to.

I suppose the obvious question is why a groundhog?  The groundhog was chosen because the European groundhog is considered a noble animal and the combination of white and gray fur can sometimes give the appearance of a robe like Jesus’s burial robes.  Also, the early Christians needed an animal that hibernated and the only two animals native to Europe that hibernate are the bear and the groundhog and you sure wouldn’t want to be waking up a bear for this.

For many centuries, European Christians used this holiday on February 2nd to keep their faith alive in the face of great persecution.  When the earliest settlers came to Pennsylvania they brought Candlemas with them.  Unfortunately, much like in our own times there was a battle over Candlemas between those for whom it was a sacred religious holiday and those who wanted to call it Groundhog Day and remove all religious significance from the day.  Sadly, Groundhog Day won that war and much of Candlemas’s religious significance was lost.   My goal is this year to remind everybody of the religious significance of Candlemas.