With the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend quickly approaching, one of my least favorite topics is once again rearing its ugly head: which patriotic hymn shall we sing on Sunday? In the grand scheme of things, this is probably not such a big deal. Is it really worth hurting someone's feelings to tell them that most patriotic hymns are not suitable for Christian worship? On the other hand, worship that focuses more on people than it does God is not really Christian worship at all.
As someone whose grandfather fought in World War II (he loves it that the American flag flies at the front of the church) I think it is important that veterans be honored and feel valued. It is the least we can do to thank them for putting their lives on the line in service to our country. However, preserving our theological integrity may be a higher calling. I have not met many pastors who really enjoy or approve of singing most patriotic songs in worship. I would be interested to hear the perspective of someone who really approved of it.
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Here are some hymns to think about:
"It is God who holds the nations" (I'm using this on Sunday, skipping stanza 3)
"God bless our native land"
"This is my song, O God of all the nations" (very good for honoring veterans)
"For freedom Christ has set us free" (not necessarily patriotic, but I'm using this on Sunday bacause it goes with Galatians and because I'm talking about a larger sense of freedom that we, as Christians, have)
"God of our Fathers (or all nations, depoending on your hymnal), whose almighty hand"
These hymns all have the virtue of feeling patriotic (and being patriotic in the best sense), yet putting God first.
And remember that your first duty on Sunday morning is to the God's Word in the Scripture for the day, not to whatever a bunch of guys did in Philadelphia a couple centuries ago. You can do that and still be pastorally sensitive to your congregation (even though a few of the most die-hard country-and-God folks will protest). . . but I'm betting that there aren't too many French or Quebecois congregations that will be singing "La Marseille" on 15 July, either.
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