The top item on their lists surprised me. I thought they would want to see the White House, the Spy Museum, or the Lunar landing module. But my granddaughter Ella, age 12, wanted to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. And my grandson Lincoln, age 10, wanted to see the inkwell that President Lincoln used to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. The hunt for Lincoln’s inkwell at the Smithsonian was convoluted, and I was tempted to give up, but when I saw Lincoln’s smile at the sight of it, I was glad we persevered. We hiked to the National Archives with a timed ticket in hand, but the line snaked around the building, and our feet were aching. Ella insisted we stay. I warned her, “The room is dimly lit, and you only see that fading parchment for a brief second,” but Ella was undaunted. I watched her reverently glimpse and snap photos of the ideals that gave birth to her homeland.
This weekend we celebrate the birthday of our nation, which dates to the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution comes 13 years later. My colleague Marlin Lavanhar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, preached a beautiful sermon last Sunday. He observed that on July 4, some will critique our nation for not achieving the ideals beautifully drafted in the Declaration. And some will celebrate all the greatness that we have achieved by following these documents. Lavanhar suggests an alternative. When we read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people 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,” we might see them as embodying our highest aspirations.
Recently I read a lengthy article* recounting how religious freedom became essential to our nation. I had forgotten that most of the 13 colonies each had their own prescribed religion. In Virginia, for example, your marriage was void if an Anglican priest did not officiate. A religious tax was required, and fines were imposed for failing to show up at church. (Now there’s an idea!) A fiery evangelical Baptist named Leland preached that state religion was wrong. He declared that Christianity “is a blessing of immense worth, but turn it into a principle of state policy, it fosters pride, hypocrisy and the worst kind of cruelty.” James Madison and Thomas Jefferson concurred. Rev. Leland believed that ordinary people can interpret God for themselves, and this principle is deeply rooted in our own Disciples of Christ tradition. As both pastor and parishioner, I am deeply grateful for the separation of church and state that allows all people to worship freely and give and serve out of love, not force.
Reviewing this history, I am compelled to join my grandchildren, Ella and Lincoln, in that pure and unadulterated awe. We adults have understandably become biased by our own political experiences, and so we know the complications implicit in reading and living out these noble ideals fought for, penned, and bravely signed by our founders. But those young eyes still look with hope, reverence, and humility at the high ideals we aspire to live out as a people. It’s still worth aspiring – for them and for us.
Grace and Peace,
Carla
*The Itinerant Preacher Who Helped Secure the Separation of Church and State by Marjoleine Kars, New York Times June 22, 2026
