FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel Thread ~ HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! ~ July 4, 2010

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World | Brad's Gramma

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE
(John 13:14-15)

"If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do." (John 13:14-15) "Surely, what I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not heaven. Neither is it beyond the sea. It is very near to you . . . in your mouth . . . in your heart." (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Jesus commands us "to wash one another's feet" in other words he wants us to lead a life of loving service. Jesus saw alienation, ingratitude, betrayal, hatred, and prejudice all around him. He saw that the only way that humankind would learn to live in peace, to treat each other with love and respect, was for him to give us the example of service to each other by the washing of the feet.

Have things gotten better almost two thousand years after the death of Jesus? Is humankind living in peace and harmony? Are we treating each other with respect and love? The answer is a big, "NO!" There is still alienation, ingratitude, hatred, and prejudice. What legacy are we adults leaving to these younger than us? We keep passing on our hatreds, prejudices, and low self- esteem. There appears to be a general feeling among us of "you are not part of my group, race, kind and clique." Due to these distinctions, humankind is setting itself up for extinction. Today's mass media is full of fresh reminders of the ways humans brutalize each other, seeking a scapegoat for the miseries of life. They set us against each other instead of mobilizing us to overcome the forces which oppress and divide all of us.

We all need to keep in mind the words of the German Pastor Niemoller: "First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out, because I was not a communist . . . Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." Niemoller could have added, with equal historical truth and even more current relevance, the following, "They came for the handicapped . . . Then they came for the homeless . . . Then they came for the old . . . Then they came for the unborn".  What I have just described is not someone else's world. It's our world, the kind of world we keep making the kind of world we will leave behind. What is there to rescue us from our petty human distinctions of self and clan, of myself and my kind, except service to all to humbly kneel before each other, taking the other's bare foot in our hands, washing it with the clean, refreshing water of forgiveness, love, and mutual respect.

LT Gabriel Mensah, CHC, USNR

 

[oldteen]

Good evening, Sir Conor! A Blessed Lords Day and a Happy Independence Day to you! *hugs*

[Cindy]

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." -from THE BIBLE: Galatians 5:1

CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY! (Click here.)

[oldteen]

Good evening ML. God Bless America and our Troops, indeed! *hugs*

[Dubya]

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Teenie! A Blessed Lord's Day and a Happy Independence Day to you as well!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[oldteen]

Honor the gift from our Creator.

Evenin' Sand! Amen to that! *hugs*

[left that other site]

Happy Independence Day
God Bless Our Troops

(((HUGS)))
A Rare Day For Me!
I Actually Have America's Birthday OFF!
Love,
ML/LTOS

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks for your service, SFC Osborne, and Godspeed!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[oldteen]

How are ya HJ? Happy Happy July 4th you!! *hugs*

[oldteen]

I Actually Have America's Birthday OFF!

Good for you!!

[Dubya]

4th of July - Independence Day

The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

[left that other site]

Happy Independence Day
God Bless Our Troops

(((HUGS)))
Once a Year.
Whether I NEED it or NOT!
Love,
ML/LTOS

[TASMANIANRED]

Evening Kathy.

Happy Birthday USA

Blessings on those that Love and Defend her.

[Kathy in Alaska]

A Blessed Lord's Day to you and yours, Sand.
Happy Independence Day. ((HUGS))

[Dubya]

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow FReepers
AND HAPPY 4TH TO YOU SGT.

[AZamericonnie]

LeAnn Rimes~Amazing Grace

[AZamericonnie]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good Lord's Day to you and the family, Mac.
And Happy Independence Day! *HUGS*

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks very much, Kathy! A Blessed Lord's Day and a Glorious Independence Day to you and yours!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[SandRat]

*hugs*