A most sacred part of church life is witnessing graveside services. The specific words, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” hold for us the finality of earthly life and the invitation into Christ’s larger life. A unique part of military graveside honors is hearing a bugle or a trumpet play Taps at the end of the service. Laying to rest those who have served our country is a distinct honor and I thank God for that holy ground. 

Taps is the traditional song played at the end of a military day and there are two stories about how Taps became the military graveside song. Both stories claim the originator was Union Captain John C. Tidball. For a corporal’s graveside service in 1862, Tidball suggested they play Taps instead of providing a 21-gun salute, which was custom. 

Here's where the stories differ: some stories say that there was a reason the corporal was not eligible for a full military honor at his graveside. Captain Tidball wanted to ensure that his corporal was still honored for his service and decided Taps be played. Another story claims that there was fighting too close nearby, and any gunfire from a salute might have incited more violence.  

Whichever story is true, I believe they both encompass a piece of the American spirit. The compassion and reverence Captain Tidball carried, his ingenuity, his problem-solving spirit, and his quest for peace are all American ideals. These ideals can help keep both progress and respect, both peace and forward motion. John Wesley began the official Methodist structure at the time of the American Revolution – we have much of that creative spirit in our denomination's DNA.

I am grateful for this country, yet year after year I struggle with the Fourth of July’s devotional. How do we best hold priority for both our faith and our country? How do we prioritize Christ’s teachings and revere the United States side by side and not fall into a political ideology of Christian Nationalism - one that seeks to merge American and Christian identities at the expense of anyone who differs? As a Christian and an American, I pray I continue to hear God’s voice as I hold both identities and do not use God’s voice to further an agenda of power or dominance. Hear my prayer, O God. 

This Independence Day, I hope we remember the gift of both our nation’s inspired independence as well as our faith’s creative interdependence as we continue to both go onto perfection and live into a more perfect union.  

Grace and peace.