First Congregational Church

Thursday, July 9, 2026 - Member Bridge
https://mailchi.mp/10f62e97bd93/member-bridge-dec-17477368

From Wisconsin Conference UCC:

Dear friends:

Many of us are old enough to remember the 1976 bicentennial celebration. Church bells rang across the country. Colorful floats paraded down main streets. Parks were crowded with picnickers, and fireworks lit up the night skies. Yet the nation faced challenges.

The 1970s brought high inflation and gas shortages. Interest rates rose dramatically, as did energy prices, and there was lingering dismay about the Vietnam catastrophe and the Watergate scandal. But none of those challenges dampened the bicentennial celebration.

I remember a thrilling sense of unity and pride and a broader patriotism that evoked deep love for all this nation exemplified. The concerts and celebrations were joyful. Gerald Ford, who never expected to be president, embarked on a 500-mile bicentennial tour attending celebrations in Valley Forge, Philadelphia and New York City.

Even amid economic and political challenges, our nation came together around the ideals of freedom and equality and the pursuit of liberty and justice for all. The notion of “one nation under God” seemed to many of us a pluralistic understanding of the divine that spoke to all of us as a force for unity.

As we approach the 250th anniversary, the economic and political turmoil seems similar, but the spirit of the American people feels different. We are deeply divided by bitter partisanship, and our government appears frighteningly out of balance because of an authoritarian executive branch, an anemic Congress, and a politicized Supreme Court.

In my circles, some people have flirted with the idea of skipping the 250th celebration altogether to protest the backsliding on civil rights amid a surge of nationalist ideology and assaults on the Constitution that have revealed our democracy to be more fragile than we thought.

Lately I’ve been remembering the music of Woody Guthrie, who recorded “This Land Is Your Land” during World War II. Guthrie’s lyrics point to the beauty and vastness of the United States, implying this land is a gift for us to take care of and to share with newcomers. These days we might sing “This land is God’s land,” acknowledging our role as tenants of Earth and stewards of all creation. This inspires me to a patriotism that places God in the center and asks me to contribute to our common good in the short span of my lifetime.

All this makes me wonder how we can proclaim our faith and elevate the values anchored in Scripture in ways that bring people together. As both citizens and as Christians, we are invited to approach the Fourth of July as a celebration of the values upon which this nation was founded. Such values continue to propel us toward becoming a more perfect Union: inclusion, diversity, equality, compassion, and justice. That’s a vision of our country born of faith, inviting us to come together in community that looks at our nation not through the lens of “me and mine” but through a wider, more welcoming, “we and ours.”

Did you know that the United Church of Christ has launched a nationwide movement in partnership with the Values in America Foundation called the United States of Kindness? I’m drawn to it because it appeals to our better angels and is rooted in the Great Commandment to love our neighbor. Kindness is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit within us. It is the tie that binds our hearts in love. Why not accept the challenge of finding 250 ways to show kindness to others between now and the end of this year?

Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812, a time of great uncertainty for our country. The anthem asks a serious question about the preservation of democracy: “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave?” Essentially, are we the nation we seek to be? If not, what would a more perfect Union look like?

Democracy remains an experiment that requires honest reflection, correction, and reaffirmation time and time again. These are trying times, but we are not hopeless or powerless. We can yet proclaim the gospel truths that will inspire a renewed vision for this nation we love.

May God’s grace and goodness abound, and God’s guidance carry us forward.

I wish you a restful and enjoyable semiquincentennial celebration!

The Rev. Franz Rigert
Conference Minister