The third verse of Psalm 100 is… “We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.”… How often do we approach our daily lives, or look at the world around us, and think… “We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.”?…

We’re quickly approaching the 250th anniversary of our country. As we do, this is a time to remember that the formation that happened 250 years ago was made under God. Our country… and God… have always been intertwined, and that tightness has not changed, regardless of the feelings that are expressed today.

On July 4, 1776, before Congress, Samuel Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, said… “We have on this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and… from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.”… I’d also like to point out that, on Dec. 4, 1800, our legislature decided that our capital building, where our Congress meets, would also serve as a church building… I am not aware of this ever having changed… This desire to connect our country with God helps to reinforce the fact that we are God’s people.

Now, we roll forward to our country’s 250th anniversary… There are many conflicts in our country today, and they are on every level of society. This is not unusual for a democracy, though the degree, and nature, of our conflicts today, should certainly be questioned. As we see conflicts in how laws are enforced, and we see people question the validity of our laws, we find that our daily lives are affected in many ways. These struggles between beliefs, ideas and visions distract us from what’s important… that we should focus on the guidance and truth that comes from God… since we are God’s people.

In recent decades, we have found that people have taken the concept of freedom and used it to justify their actions. This is the opposite of seeing what the freedom granted to us allows us to do. As a result, I’m afraid this thinking has also been applied to people taking action first, and then putting words in God’s mouth or using His Word to justify their actions… We need to go back to allowing our actions to be guided by God… since we are God’s people.

Fortunately, it is beginning to appear that we’re turning the corner and going in the right direction. History has shown us that often, people who most feel that they’re in the wrong, sound off the loudest, because they seek validation. It’s the quiet ones, though, that are more self-assured. We also are finding that recent surveys show in-person church attendance increasing. Lessons heard on Sunday are also influencing the actions of people. We’re especially seeing this in the age groups containing young families. We’re finding more and more people accepting the fact that they are God’s people.

So, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of this wonderful country, let’s not focus on individual desires… who wants to perform, and who doesn’t… or, what constitutes a celebration… or what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow… Let’s celebrate 250 years of being a country under God. This is what our forefathers would want us to focus on — because that’s what they focused on. Let’s give all the glory to God. Give our praise to God. Give our thanks to God. And remember, always, that “We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.”

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Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week’s column comes from Pastor Gary Shumway of Garman Lutheran Church in Pine Creek and Grace Lutheran Church in Jersey Shore.