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Friday, July 4, 2025 at 3:51 AM

Our Independence Day as Christians

Next summer, we, as a nation, will mark our semiquincentennial. Next summer, the United States turns 250 years old. On July 4, 1776, our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to our great nation.

Next summer, huge celebrations are scheduled for New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Concerts, parades, and spectacular fireworks displays are being planned. We are going to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country with a bang.

This week, we also celebrate the Fourth of July. This week, our country celebrates its 249th anniversary. And sure, there will be fireworks and barbecues and maybe even a couple of parades, but it will be nothing compared to what is being planned for next summer.

Have you ever noticed that about anniversaries and birthdays? Certain numbers – 10, 25, 50, 100 – seem to be more important than others. For some reason, in our culture, we consider round numbers implicitly better or more important than other numbers.

But why is 250 more worthy of celebrating than 249 or 251? That begs the question, why even celebrate anniversaries and birthdays? What makes one day more important than any other?

Three thousand five hun dred years ago, God’s people were slaves in Egypt. God sent a man named Moses to tell the Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” But Pharaoh refused, even after nine terrible plagues.

So, God sent one last plague. On the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan, God sent the angel of death to kill the first born son in every home of Egypt. But God rescued his people by having them mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb. When the angel of death saw the blood, he passed over those homes.

God then commanded his people that, every year on the 15th day of the month of Nissan, they were to celebrate the anniversary of how he had delivered them from slavery and death by the blood of a lamb. The Passover was the Jewish Fourth of July – their Independence Day.

It’s no coincidence that Jesus died on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Jesus died on the day of the Passover. The blood of the Lamb has set us free from our slavery to sin and death. We still mark that anniversary every year on Good Friday.

Good Friday is our Independence Day.

But God doesn’t want us to only remember Jesus’ death once a year. In fact, on the night before he died, as Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, he gave them a new memorial meal. But this meal wasn’t meant to be celebrated once a year. It was meant to be taken regularly.

Every time we receive Holy Communion, we remember how God saved us from our slavery to sin and death by the blood of the Lamb. Every time we take Holy Communion, we celebrate the freedom from sin and death that Jesus won for us on the cross.

It’s good to celebrate anniversaries. Take time this Fourth of July to remember and thank God for the freedoms and blessings we enjoy as citizens of this great country. Take time every year on Good Friday to remember what Jesus did to free you from your sins and death.

But don’t just do that once a year. Go to church every Sunday. Take Holy Communion often. Remember and celebrate regularly the freedom Jesus won for you.

Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.


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