A Declaration of Dependance

Pr. Jaz Bowen-Waring

June 29, 2025

The 4th of July is this Friday! Time to fire up the grill, rock our red-white-and-blue, and, of course, terrify the neighborhood dogs with fireworks. It’s America! The land of the free, the home of the brave—and the free gift with purchase. USA! USA! USA! This is the time we, as Americans, celebrate our independence from a tyrannical imperialist monarchy. You remember—when we had a king who ruled with unchecked power, enriched the wealthy while taxing the poor, attacked sovereign nations without accountability, deported people without due process, and loved a good ego-driven military parade. I'm so glad those days are behind us... right? On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking our break from the British Empire. Independence. Freedom. Personal liberty. These ideals have helped form the soul of our nation. They’ve served a great purpose—but they’ve also brought us to a place where our fierce independence often morphs into isolation. We have become, as the Apostle Paul would say, “led by the flesh” instead of the Spirit —caught in a self-centered way of living that confuses freedom with indulgence, and liberty with license. That is why today, I am making a Declaration of Dependence. Not dependence on a king, a country, or a political party—but on the crucified and risen Christ. It is our dependence on Jesus that fuels us to walk in His way. I’m declaring dependence on the One who set His face toward Jerusalem, fully aware that it would end in execution by the State. When the Samaritans rejected Him, and His disciples wanted to rain fire on them from the sky, Jesus rebuked them. He refused to retaliate. He chose mercy over vengeance, laying down His divine power and privilege to show us what real freedom looks like. I’m declaring dependence on the One who had no place to rest His head—while birds have nests and foxes have dens. Jesus is enfleshed in the refugee seeking asylum, in the migrant farmworker laboring before sunrise, risking arrest and deportation while feeding a nation that doesn’t see them. I’m declaring dependence on the One who tells us to put our hands to the plow and not look back—because a plow only works when it's moving forward. When we look back with nostalgia, we risk rewriting history, glossing over pain, and ignoring the voices of the oppressed. We are not going back. We are not going back into closets. We are not going back to legislated inequality. We are not going back to silencing prophets or shrinking the gospel to fit nationalism. The Kingdom of God is not about going back—it’s about pressing forward. It is a realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion—and we are called to bring that kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Our freedom is not for status. It is for service. As Martin Luther wrote, we are “free in Christ and bound to our neighbor.” Real freedom doesn’t elevate us above others; it compels us to lift others up. Our liberation is tied together. We are not truly free until everyone is free. Our freedom is dependent on each other. So this Fourth of July, let us celebrate not just with fireworks and flags, but with a fire in our hearts for justice, compassion, and humility. Let’s light up more than just the sky— let’s shine the light of Christ in every place where darkness tries to hide. Let us declare with boldness that our highest allegiance is not to a nation, but to the Kingdom of God. A kingdom where peace triumphs over power, where mercy is greater than might, and where love is the law. May our Declaration of Dependence be a daily act—a way of living that says: I will follow Jesus. I will serve my neighbor. I will move forward in faith, never back in fear. Because in Christ, we are truly free. And in Christ, we are never alone. Amen.