This week I enjoyed reading about the Wilcox Ranch with all those unexplored Indian artifacts.  5,000 archeological sites of the Fremont people untouched for 50 years because the owner kept the people away.  Good for him!  But already he's being accused of wrongdoings by jealous people.  Some say he was being selfish.  Indians are demanding any skeletons found.  Archaeologists are trying to find out why the Fremont people left the area so abruptly a thousand years ago.  Politicians are claiming they left because of President Bush's policies!  Mr. Wilcox is a great man for preserving that place and selling it to those who will treat it right.

          We've come to another Independence Day.  Our forefathers achieved independence 228 years ago because they took great chances and achieved great results.  Great people are those who believe in great principles and act according to them.  Great people may be well-known or unknown, but they're willing to act on what they believe and take responsibility for it.  Great people are not great in themselves, but great in standing up for what they believe.

          In the history of great people are three young guys of Daniel's time, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo.  They lived 2,700 years ago and stood up for God when all others bowed down to idols.  They stood before a king who demanded they kneel to him.  They were unafraid when others lived by fear.  They refused to bow to man because they trusted God.  All that made them great.

          This Independence Day, let's learn some good things from this true Bible story.  First, any nation that rises to power does so only because God allows it.  Even the most greedy and evil nation gets there only because God allows it.  Every nation receives its blessings from the hands of God.  That's because history is not about us; it's all about God.  It's His-story.

          Until Copernicus came along 470 years ago, the earth and mankind were the center of the universe.  Everything revolved around us.  All that changed in 1534 when a skinny Polish scientist proved that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system.  But it took nearly 50 years and a man named Galileo to get these findings begrudgingly accepted.  Copernicus and Galileo were not popular in their day.  They were ridiculed, shunned, jailed and even kicked out of the church for their findings.  People don't like being demoted from center stage.

          Today, many think America is the center of the Universe.  We expect to be first in everything, and if we're not, someone must be to blame.  We mock authority and call it patriotism.  We slander people and call it freedom.  We refuse to protect our young from online pornography, and call it First Amendment rights.  We think history is all about us.

          Some churches think they're the center of the Christian universe, more right than all others.  They condemn all who disagree with them and accuse rather than discuss.  They point fingers rather than extend the hand of fellowship, and they do it because deep down they still think they're the center of the universe, the featured act on God's stage.  But the church is not about us; it's all about God.  Any church that claims center stage will find itself out the door and in the alley.

          Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo - we'll call them the "Three Guys" - took center stage in this historical event not because they planned to, but because God put them there.  That's another important thing to remember today.  God puts us in places for His purposes, places we may not choose, but where He wants us to be.  These Three Guys had been promoted to high office in Babylon, the capital of King Nebuchadnezzar's empire, today's Baghdad in Iraq.  The Three Guys had important positions, placed there at God's direction so their faith could be shown.  Their place in life was not about them; it was all about God.

          King Neb, like most kings, became too big for his own good.  He surrounded himself with "Yes Men" and believed all the things they said about him.  He let them build a golden idol 90 feet high, and passed laws that everybody must bow to it.  They didn't do this because he was a good king, but because they were boot-lickers.  They told King Neb this Golden Man was him, so when people bowed to the image, they were bowing to the king.

          Every powerful ruler seems to end up doing this - trusting their admirers.  Power corrupts, and the more power that's given, the more corrupt rulers become.  We Americans need to beware of this, as do we Lutherans.  It's not that Americans are great, but that God has blessed us greatly.  And it's not that Lutherans are so great, but we do have a lot of good biblical beliefs.  Knowledge itself is power, and knowledge can corrupt church people like gold can corrupt politicians.  But the Holy Spirit gives us this knowledge.  So, again, it's not about us; it's all about God.

          Back to our story:  Some of the other officials noticed the Three Guys didn't bow to the Golden Man and so they tattled to the king.  He was furious and had them brought in for questioning.  They said, no matter what, they would not bow to the Golden Man.  They said, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)

          Now that's faith!  No bowing to idols, no matter what!  Again, great people are not great in themselves, but great for their faith and in standing up for it.  The Three Guys were at their finest as they stood for God, in defiance of the King who could send them to their death.  We need courage like that.  Too often Christians today are wimps.  We cringe when secularism demands we hide our faith.  But we're God's people, so let's act like it!  What can they do to us?  Fire us?  Sue us?  Jail us?  If we stand for God, He will stand for us!  Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge him before the angels of God.  But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8-9)

          That's what this story is all about - standing for God.  The king was furious and tossed the Three Guys into the furnace.  It was so hot even the soldiers nearby were burned up, but they were not.  A fourth person was seen in the furnace with them, the Lord Himself.  God is with us in our worst of times.  He won't forsake us, no matter what.  When they came out, not a hair was burned and they didn't even smell smoky.  The king was so impressed he outlawed speaking against God.

          But there he missed the point again!  Instead of bowing in worship to God, he wrote new laws about Him.  Instead of tearing down the idol, he became tolerant of other religions.  He missed his chance of turning to the true God.  He could have taken away that symbol of self-adoration, but he was the king, and it was all about him, not about God.

          No, it's not about us, it's about God - or more specifically, it's about Jesus Christ.  God put Christ in the center of all things.  St. Paul wrote, "God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church." (Ephesians 1:20-22)

          Jesus is the center of the universe, because God the Father put Him there.  He didn't ask for center stage, but He didn't refuse it either.  Therefore, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the One "at whose name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Christ, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11)

          When God looks at the center of the universe, He doesn't see you or me.  He sees His Son.  His Son died for our sins.  He paid the price for our ransom.  Calvary is center stage for salvation of the universe.  Everything really important happened there and in the open grave.  It's not about us; it's about our Savior.

          God wants us to reflect that Savior to others.  You and I are like the moon.  It has no light of itself, but it reflects the light of the sun.  So also, you and I have no light of ourselves, but we can reflect the light of the Son of God.  The moon is a dark, pock-marked rock with no air.  It is cold and lifeless by itself.  But with the light of the sun, the moon appears to shine, and it becomes the object of drama and romance and poetry.  But dead as it is, the moon still affects the earth's tides.  So also we Christians should affect those around us in good ways.

          What would happen if Christians accepted their places as reflectors of the Son?  Instead of demanding to be recognized, they recognize the Son.  Instead of demanding their rights, they tell what He did right.  Instead of insisting they're center stage, they let Jesus be the center of all things.  This life we live is not about me or you - it's all about Jesus Christ.  May God give us such an attitude of faith to accept this and live by it, amen.

Copyright © 2004 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.