Be an agent for change
Sermon by Pr. Michelle Sevig on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 14 + Sunday, July 6, 2025
My childhood memories of Independence Day revolve around waving sparklers in the air with my cousins, the loud boom of firecrackers we played with as tweens, BBQ’s with the neighbors, and sitting with my family on blankets while we swatted mosquitos and watched the town’s fireworks display.
More recently, as my children were growing up, we spent every 4th of July at the small town parade where our family’s cabin is in Minnesota. The children eagerly raced for candy thrown by the parade participants, the parents and grandparents stood to salute the flag as the American Legion marched by, and we’d all sing along as the band played The Star Spangled Banner.
I have fond memories of celebrating this holiday every year. While I haven’t always been completely satisfied with the leadership of our country, during both democratic and republican presidencies, this was the one day each year we came together in unity to celebrate our common love of country, to be proud of our nation and give thanks for living in this land.
But this year, leading up to the 4th of July, the week was full of disappointments. And that’s really an understatement!
Immigrants, most of them law abiding, tax paying, decades-long residents are being abducted without due process and the right to a lawyer–a right that Americans cherish.
Immigration detention facilities are being built that are reminiscent of the Japanese internment camps and Nazi concentration camps of the 1940’s, while elected officials stand in front of the gates laughing and celebrating.
A US funded war that’s supporting the genocide of the people in Gaza.
The passage of a budget package that will have a monumental impact on many in the country, but especially the poor and disabled.
I didn’t feel like there was much to celebrate this weekend. And I’ve been fretting for days about what to preach and how to find the good news at a time such as this. How can we celebrate America’s independence day, when we seem to be losing the very freedoms we yearn to celebrate? Thankfully, our ELCA bishops have paved the way for a gospel word, rooted in our Christian identity to be faithful to God and each other, in a world that is broken and divided
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the presiding bishop of the ELCA, wrote, “In the Galatians text for this coming Sunday, Paul calls the church to do what is good, not simply for other Christians but for all. Luther echoes this in the Small Catechism when he explains the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.” “We are to fear and love God,” Luther writes, “so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life’s needs” (1)
When Paul wrote to the Galatians, the early believers were plagued by division over the questions over who was in and who was out. Paul encouraged them to find their unity in Christ and to not grow weary of doing what is right and work for the good of everyone. We could use the same encouragement from Paul today. Do not grow weary in doing what is right and working for the good of everyone.
And Bishop Kevin Strickland, from the Southeastern Synod and a former member of this congregation, wrote “As Lutherans, we understand that our ultimate allegiance is to Christ alone. And yet, our theology does not permit us to retreat from public life in the face of injustice… Government, in Lutheran thought, is a gift from God, established not to aggrandize rulers, but to preserve order and promote justice. When rulers instead use their office to promote fear, division, and self-interest, it is not only our constitutional duty but our theological calling to speak and act. Silence in the face of tyranny is complicity. Our faith compels us to be voices for truth, to resist authoritarianism, and to advocate for laws that reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for all people.” (2)
We face this significant American moment together, rooted in our trust in God and empowered to work for the good of all. In the gospel reading today from Luke, Jesus commissions others to speak and act in his name, so that all may hear the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus sends the 70 followers into the world to, “Go in Peace. Serve the Lord.” as we say each week at the end of our liturgy. While Jesus may give more detailed instructions–what to wear, what to say, what to bring etc.--the overall sentiment is the same. Go-share the peace of God with others. Go-share the good news. Go-remember the poor and vulnerable. Go-be an agent for change.
The good news of the kingdom of God coming near is that the broken will find wholeness, the lonely will be restored to community, the captive will be set free, and wrongs will be righted. The persons, beings, systems or structures that are antithetical to the Gospel will not stand against the reign of God coming near.
Our faith compels us to be voices for truth and to advocate for laws that reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for all people. You are sent, like those first disciples, into the world to be bearers of good news, proclaiming peace, working for justice, and rejoicing that your names are written in heaven.
In the waters of baptism, God has already claimed you and named you as beloved. We who are baptized are called to affirm our baptism daily, and denounce the devil and all the forces that defy God. When I do a baptism at Holy Trinity, I rehearse with parents and sponsors the question they’ll be asked: Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God? And I encourage them to loudly and emphatically declare, “I renounce them!” If they don’t say it loud enough or with energy, I ask them to do it again, to shout, “I renounce them!
Dear church, we are witnessing systemic, overt, public evil, and we are being called to act on behalf of the poor, the outcast, the oppressed, the forgotten, the accused. Do you renounce the forces that defy God? We are being called in this moment to fight the good fight of faith, to proclaim the good news and share the peace of Christ with everyone.
Bishop Leila Ortiz, of the Metro DC synod, offers a prayer for us to use this weekend as we are sent out into the world for this holy work as the body of Christ and I invite you to pray with me.
“God of justice and mercy, you have marked us as your own in baptism and called us to renounce all that defies your love. Grant us courage to name the evil we witness, wisdom to discern the spirits, and strength to stand against the powers and principalities that seek to destroy your creation.
In a time when demonic powers are bold and public, remind us that your power is stronger. When evil appears systematic and overwhelming, help us remember that your love is more systematic still—woven into the very fabric of creation, poured out in Christ, and alive in us through your Spirit.
Unite us in prayer, O God. Make us bold in our renunciation of evil and fervent in our commitment to life abundant for all. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who has already conquered death and the grave. Amen.”
1 Bishop Elisabeth Eaton Statement on the OBBA’s Passage.
2 Bishop Kevin Strickland, Response to the Passage of the “Trump Big Beautiful Bill”: A Call for Faithful Resistance
