July 5, 2026

“A Republic . . . Can We Keep It?”

“A Republic . . . Can We Keep It” A Sermon based on Isaiah 61:1-2a;8-9; Galatians 5:1;4-5; and Luke 4:16-21 delivered on July 5, 2026 for Independence Weekend at the Village Park with the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan by the Rev. Alison Dutton Jacobs.

I think it is pretty safe for me to say, in this particular group, that we all grew up placing our hands over our hearts and reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag each morning to begin our school day. The closing hymn that Bruce Brooks wrote to the tune of Auld Lang Syne uses those familiar words in various ways to remind us of those foundational ideas.

On this 250th Birthday of our nation, the words feel comforting to us, like an old friend. You remember them, don’t you? The pledge starts out with these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of and to the Republic for which it stands.” The pledge became so familiar by repetition, that I know I never really thought about our country as a Republic. We talked a lot about democracy in school but . . .