In the three Sundays leading up to the 4th of July--our national day of celebration--I have been sharing three very distinct messages.  What they have in common is that they all relate in one way or another to our country and what is going on currently.

Last Sunday was a very unusual teaching in that I commented directly upon an action by the current administration, specifically the Health and Human Services mandate that contraception drugs and devices and surgical sterilization be offered and paid for by every private health insurance policy.  This included those group plans for religious institutions, like Catholic schools, hospitals and charities who are morally and doctrinally opposed to birth control and abortion-inducing drugs.  I believe this to be a serious intrusion upon our constitutional guarantee of religious liberty.  The government is prohibited by the First Amendment against infringing upon the free exercise of religion.

Still, I probably would not have preached on this topic had I not been visited in the night by the Lord back in February with a major download on this matter.  In a revelatory encounter that was way more intense than a dream, my spirit was impressed with the Lord's heart for this matter.  I woke up with a very strong sense of his presence and with a very distinct sober warning: "Should America trade its constitutional guarantee of religious liberty for the so-called 'right of birth control' it would be like Esau trading his birth right for a bowl of chili."   That really got my attention.

But I sat upon that revelation for many months until I felt the release and impetus of the Lord to share it with the congregation.  Reason?  My threshold for addressing from the pulpit any topic that is political is very high.  Very high. It needs to be a game changer in the whole course of our culture for me to address a political issue from the pulpit.  I have probably addressed political topics less than ten times from the pulpit over the course of 25 years here.  My call is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, not wax political.  But this issue is, I believe, a big one.  And I believe the Lord wants us to cherish the liberty of conscience and free exercise of religion we are guaranteed by the Constitution--cherish it for ourselves and stand up for it for others.

Tonight, Wednesday, June 27, I will host a discussion in the cafe for any who are interested in pursuing this topic in any way--more info, challenge, questions, etc.  We will begin at 7:00 PM.  For those who want to go online and find out more (from the Catholic organizers' perspective) you can go to:  www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com

Finally, this Sunday I will be doing something a bit different.  I will still be focusing on America--but this time from a bit more positive and historical perspective. The last two Sundays have been a bit heavy. Hopefully this Sunday will contain more good news for us to celebrate as we begin the week leading up to the 4th!

Blessings,

Pastor Rick