A Pastoral Letter
To the Christian Congregation Church Family
July 4, 2026
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:37–39, NKJV
Dear Church Family,
This Independence Day is unlike any other in our lifetime. On July 4, 2026, our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a remarkable milestone—one that invites both reflection and thanksgiving.
As your pastor, I have been thinking about how Christians should approach this anniversary. I know that some believers wrestle with genuine questions. Is it appropriate for a Christian to celebrate our nation’s history? Is it okay to love our country when we know it has flaws? Can we rejoice in God’s blessings without ignoring our nation’s failures?
I believe Scripture answers those questions with both clarity and balance.
The Bible never calls us to pretend that our nation is perfect. In fact, no nation in history has been. Every nation bears the marks of both God’s common grace and humanity’s fallen nature. Israel itself—the nation uniquely chosen by God for His redemptive purposes—was repeatedly confronted by the prophets for injustice, idolatry, and disobedience. Loving a nation has never required believing that it is without fault.
At the same time, Scripture never suggests that gratitude for one’s country is somehow unspiritual.
The Apostle Paul loved his own people so deeply that he wrote, “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart” for Israel and even expressed his willingness to sacrifice himself if it could lead them to Christ (Romans 9:1–3). Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem because He loved its people, even as He lamented their unbelief (Matthew 23:37). Their love was neither blind nor naïve. It was honest, compassionate, and deeply rooted.
I believe the same kind of love is appropriate for us.
As Christians, we should thank God for the nation in which He has placed us. We should be grateful for the freedoms we have enjoyed, for the sacrifices made by countless men and women to preserve those freedoms, for the opportunities we have had to worship openly, raise our families, serve our communities, and proclaim the gospel. James reminds us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Every blessing we have received ultimately comes from the gracious hand of God.
At the same time, our gratitude must always be rightly ordered.
Jesus taught us that our greatest love belongs to God alone. Every other love—including our love for family, church, community, and country—finds its proper place beneath our love for Him.
I have often thought about this in terms of marriage. I believe my wife is the greatest wife in the world. I hope every faithful husband believes the same about his own wife. That conviction is not rooted in arrogance or the belief that every other wife is somehow inferior. It is an expression of covenant love, gratitude, and joyful commitment to the one God has entrusted to me.
In much the same way, I believe there is nothing unbiblical about loving your country deeply or even believing it to be the greatest nation in the world, provided we understand what we mean by that. Such a statement need not be an expression of national arrogance or a denial of our nation’s shortcomings. Rather, it can be a grateful acknowledgment that, in God’s providence, He has placed us here, blessed us richly, and entrusted us with significant opportunities and responsibilities.
For Christians, greatness is never measured merely by military strength, economic success, or political influence. Scripture reminds us, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The greatness we should desire for our nation is not simply greater prosperity, but greater righteousness; not merely greater power, but greater faithfulness to God.
This means we are free to celebrate God’s blessings while also praying for our nation’s repentance wherever we have fallen short. In fact, those two things belong together. The prophets who most boldly confronted Israel’s sins were also those who loved her most deeply. Genuine love is always honest.
As Christians, we must also remember that our highest citizenship is not earthly but heavenly. Paul reminds us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Before we are Americans, we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Our ultimate allegiance belongs to Him. Earthly nations rise and fall throughout history, but His Kingdom alone is everlasting.
Yet our heavenly citizenship does not lessen our responsibility toward our earthly one. On the contrary, because we belong to Christ, we should strive to be the very best citizens possible—people who pray for our leaders, seek the good of our communities, obey lawful authority, pursue justice, show compassion, and faithfully bear witness to the gospel.
As we celebrate this historic anniversary, I want to encourage you not to feel guilty for thanking God for our country. Gratitude is not idolatry. Celebrating God’s blessings is not the same as ignoring our nation’s sins. Loving your country is not a betrayal of your citizenship in heaven when that love is rightly ordered under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
So celebrate this Independence Day with your family. Fly the flag if you choose. Attend the parade. Watch the fireworks. Tell your children and grandchildren about the blessings God has graciously given us. Honor those who have sacrificed so that we might enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted.
But above all, give thanks to the One from whom every blessing flows.
Pray for our nation—not because we believe it is beyond reproach, but because we love it. Pray that America would pursue righteousness, cherish truth, protect justice, defend the vulnerable, and, above all, turn its heart toward God. Pray that the Church would remain faithful, courageous, and compassionate in every generation.
This July 4th, celebrate with gratitude. Reflect with humility. Pray with hope. Worship with reverence.
And as we rejoice in 250 years of God’s providence toward our nation, let us remember that we are ultimately citizens of an eternal Kingdom “which cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). May our love for Christ shape every other love, and may our love for our country always lead us to seek its highest good—the glory of God and the advance of His gospel.
May God bless you, your family, and may God continue to bless the United States of America—not because we deserve His favor, but because we humbly ask for His mercy and His grace.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin Young
Senior Pastor
Christian Congregation Church