Pastor Sue Koenig
Graceham Moravian Church
(7/1) Have you ever wondered about the first 4th of July celebration, or what it would have been like to be there? Here is how it all began. Alexander Martin, Governor of North Carolina, signed the following Proclamation on June 18, 1783:
Whereas the honorable the General Assembly have by a Resolution of both Houses recommended to appoint the fourth of July next being the anniversary of the declaration of the American Independence, as a Day of Solemn Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the many most glorious interpositions of his Providence manifested in a great and signal manner in
behalf of these United States...
I have thought proper to issue this Proclamation directing the said 4th of July next be observed as above, hereby strictly commanding and enjoining all the Good Citizens of this State to set apart the said Day from bodily labour, and employ the same in devout and religious exercises...
Given under my hand...the 18th day of June in the year 1783. - ALEX. MARTIN
Only one small community, a Moravian community in Salem, North Carolina is known to have observed July 4, 1783, with a planned celebration. The Moravians, who were pacifists, had suffered during the Revolutionary War for their religiously-grounded refusal to bear arms on either side. They were eager to celebrate the peace, so they read the Proclamation
and prepared for the day. Karl Kroeger, former director of the Moravian Music Foundation, wrote about the first 4th of July celebration in an essay:
The first known official celebration of the Fourth of July … was not a noisy, patriotic celebration with military parades, fireworks, political speeches and the like. It did not take place in one of the larger cities, such as Philadelphia, New York, or Boston. It did not celebrate the victory of the American forces or even the independence of the
country. It was a religious observance in a small, rural settlement in North Carolina, thanking God for the return of peace to the land.
Brother Kroeger penned his essay in part to highlight a man "who was probably the finest composer in America during his day: Johann Friedrich Peter (1746-1813)." The Moravians held three church services for the July 4th observance. The first, in the morning, included singing accompanied by trombones. The second service included text and music that
Brother Peter had prepared for the occasion, Psalm of Joy. The piece was "a cantata-like work with parts for soloists, chorus, orchestra, trombone choir and the congregation.
Everyone was involved, everyone sang, pouring out their feelings of praise and gratitude to God in the final mighty Hallelujah of the last chorale." Finally, in the evening, the trombones led the congregation in a processional through the town, and the day ended with antiphonal singing and a blessing before congregants returned to their homes "with
hearts filled with the peace of God." Psalm of Joy was placed in the church records, where it remained for 183 years before being performed for the 200th anniversary celebration of the Founding of Salem in 1966.
I remember another 4th of July – July 4, 1969. That was the year that I was awarded a four-day trip to the City of Philadelphia for winning an essay contest sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Thurmont American Legion Post 168. Before saluting my accomplishment, you should know that eligible competitors were few in number: you had to be born on
the Fourth of July; you had to be turning 14 years old; and you had to live in one of the original 13 colonies! Still, I was delighted when my essay, "What My American Freedoms Mean to Me," was selected. And I didn't receive extra credit for being born in Gettysburg!
With an older relative as a chaperone, I set out for Philadelphia. The two of us stood on the northbound side of Route 15 at Roddy Creek Road and flagged down a Greyhound Bus -- an acceptable practice in those days). Our clothes were packed in brown grocery bags from Super Thrift as neither of us owned a suitcase.
In Philadelphia, I joined the other 12 winners to be presented with the Key to the City. We were treated as distinguished guests at the City's 4th of July celebrations, were invited to read our essays, and watched an amazing fireworks display. After touring the city, we met the popular comedian of that era, Red Skeleton and his wife. I don't remember
what I wrote in my essay, but I do recall part of a sentence from one of the other essays: "...a woman is safe to walk on the street." I remain deeply grateful to the women of the Ladies Auxiliary for this opportunity that inspired and enriched my life. I also remember listening to the other essays and thinking, long before I even contemplated becoming a pastor, that the 4th
of July was and is about freedom, and that freedom can mean many different things.
This July 4th, we may contemplate what our freedom in Christ means to us. The scriptures on freedom include:
- Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor. 3:17
- So if the Son [Christ] sets you free, you will be free indeed.
- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
- You, my brothers and sisters were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:13-14
The freedom we receive in Christ is freedom from the power of sin and the fear of death. It is also freedom from every other fear. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Tim. 1:7). This freedom we have received as a gift, like God's love, surpasses all others. For we only know we are
completely free when we give our lives freely and completely in love and service to others.
By grace through faith, we are free from all fear so that we are able to stand firm in fulfilling Christ's command to love the neighbor. In Christ we are set free so that we may free others. Christ calls us to stand without fear with our neighbors who suffer injustice, with the poor and the oppressed, with those who are fleeing violence, with those who
are sick, hungry and imprisoned. Jesus, quoting the prophet Isaiah, described his own ministry as an anointing to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed. (Luke 4:18, CEB) This 4th of July, may we pray for a return of peace with justice to our land, and may we celebrate our freedom as
Christians with actions that set others free.
Read other articles by Pastor Sue Koenig
