“God save the King! God save the King!”

I thought Lynne was watching an old “Three Musketeers” movie. That or one of those cheesy Hallmark movies where the regular girl marries the prince who then becomes the king. It was none of the above. It was a news clip from the coronation of King Charles (whatever number he is in the lineup) from England.

I have never understood this fixation with British royalty among Americans. Did people forget that we fought a war so we wouldn’t have to chant “God save the King”? Actually, it’s pretty evident our schools aren’t teaching much history or civics these days. These “man (or woman) in the street” interviews that a certain news network does are painful to watch. Asking someone what famous person said “Give me liberty or give me death” will rarely result in a correct answer (Patrick Henry).

How about that “liberty” stuff? Doesn’t the Declaration of Independence say we deserve “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”? It does, but it says so much more than that. The preamble to the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Americans are all about that “pursuit of happiness” these days, but we seem to have lost the part about being “endowed by their Creator.” Our Founders knew better.

God is all about liberty. He sent His Son to free men from the bondage of sin. One day Jesus stood up in a synagogue to speak and He was handed a scroll of Isaiah. Luke tells us: "The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’“ (Luke 4:17-19, ESV).

The problem with sinful men is that we think we are free, that we have liberty, when in fact we are in bondage to our sinful nature.

One day when Jesus was teaching, He stated His truth would make them free. The response was stunning. "They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, "You will become free”?‘“ (John 8:33). These religious leaders were ignoring the fact their nation had been controlled by foreign powers for most of the 400-plus years since they were sent home under the Persian rule and were then being ruled by Rome.

Christians understand this. "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (John 8:2). They understand Jesus’s promise to them. “So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). They also understand they have been freed for a purpose. “For you were called to freedom [KJV: 'liberty’], brothers. Only do not use your freedom [liberty] as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Serving isn’t a popular word in today’s culture. There is an entitlement mentality in our society that cries “Me, me, me!” But Christians understand that we have been set free to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In fact, we understand this fixation with royalty more than anyone, and our cry is, “All Hail King Jesus”!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!