My Country ‘Tis Not of Thee
by Jane Tawel
September 26, 2017
There has been a lot of hoopla lately over public figures protesting during the national anthem at sporting events. As someone who does not watch sports, I am a little taken aback by the fierce emotions surrounding the protests and the singing of the national anthem. We lose our way so easily. The national anthem, is just that — a song. It isn’t even the pledge to our country that we say to a flag. It is a song. There are many other anthems that celebrate our country. The funny thing is whenever I am around people singing this anthem, most of them don’t know the words and can’t hit the high notes if they do. Is that a form of protest, I wonder? Could we start maybe requiring people to learn the words and take voice lessons? Or is that just too much like Nazi Germany or Communist Russia? I am sort of just shaking my head, I must admit. I mean, do we play the national anthem before chess meets, or spelling bees, or tiddly- wink contests. Shall we start playing it before the kids go out in the yard to play kick ball?
I have an anthem for my country. Actually in my country, just like for America, there are many great anthems. One of my favorites is called “Amazing Grace” and the other is called “Jesus Loves Me”. One of my country’s best anthems is called “How Great Thou Art”. I have found many people do not now know the words or tunes to those great anthems either. I daily try to understand their meaning. And you know, the King of my country doesn’t care if I stand or sit or lie down when I am singing His Anthems. In fact, my King says, it is better if you go in a closet and privately and sincerely sing anthems to our Kingdom ideals.
The United States of America’s anthem was never written to be played before what is officially called a “pastime” or “game”. War is not actually any thing like a game and definitely not something people do to pass the time. The national anthem of our particular country was meant to be played for special occasions that celebrate what our country has done for the people who live here and as an example to the countries of people who don’t live here. It was meant to celebrate things like freedom and sacrifice. Protests, at their best, are meant to do the same thing.
For centuries, there have been many anonymous people who have quietly and respectfully decided not to pledge allegiance to a flag of a country. These are people who feel their only allegiance belongs to God and that the words that they say matter in a different way on a daily basis than perhaps those words might mean if they were actually in a war defending the country they reside in. If I were in the military fighting for my country, I would pledge to that country’s ideals daily. But game players are not fighting for their country and if we have given them the right to play for our team, our state, our school on a field, then we should give them the rights all citizens have in the country — the freedom to speak about what they believe.
We tend to want our public figures, whether on a court and field or on a movie screen, to tow the line. We pay them, they entertain us. We are a nation that would rather pay a lot of money to be entertained than to clean up someone else’s hurricane damage or take care of someone’s health issues. We would rather fifth quarterback the missteps of a game than analyze police missteps. So when these public figures decide they must protest publicly, we get miffed. “I watch you to feel good about myself in a sort of narcissistic, self-caring, numbing way”, we might say. And ranting at public figures lets us off the hook in terms of looking at what we really believe and what the real person sitting next to us really believes and what we should DO about what we believe. Because sitting and watching seems to be a sort of non- protest, doesn’t it? In God’s kingdom, though, it is the players with the self-serving protestations of the non-involved that will be kicked out. In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about God’s playing field:
For it will be like a coach (man) getting ready for a game (journey), who called his players (servants) and entrusted to them his wealth and property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For what does it profit me if my team wins, but I lose my soul on the sidelines? I want to be careful that my love of the game or my love of my own words, does not blind me to God’s love for all people. The Lord asks us to be respectful of whatever country we find ourselves in but to never confuse our respect for a foreign land with worship. Worship belongs only to God and our allegiance to Christ alone. Walking in the light of God’s world is no halftime, pastime, couch potato event. It involves much more than a hand over my heart and once a week pledge. It is not a game. And yet, the victories in Jesus are so much sweeter than any other win could be. Which reminds me of another great anthem people in my country sing:
“I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow’r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t
To me the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there
The song of victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
Now that anthem, about that Game-changer, and that kingdom — that– makes me want to take a knee.
Jane Tawel 