On this day in 1776, on the sultry summer streets of Philadelphia, learned men signed a document that proclaimed that the thirteen British colonies on the North American mainland were now free and independent states. In declaring independence from Great Britain, the United States of America claimed a freedom and liberty that has prompted a July 4^th celebration ever since.

No longer would the tyranny that they experienced in the past be a way of life. They could now live in peace. This weekend most of us will probably, if we haven’t already, in some way, celebrate the independence of our nation, as we rejoice in the freedoms and virtues of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in thankfulness for the blessings we enjoy here.

Today, our Lord gives us even more reason to rejoice. With the prophet Isaiah, we have an opportunity to rejoice with Jerusalem, the city of peace. We may be comforted in the deliverance he promises the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

After our time of Great tribulation and mourning on earth, God will restore Jerusalem and comfort his people, bringing us into the paradise he regained for us in Christ Jesus, where we will live with him, surrounded by his love forever.

Today, we are again allowed the opportunity to taste and see this paradise in Word and Sacrament, as we wait in hope for the day of His return. Isaiah tells all who mourn over Jerusalem to rejoice. But we almost have to ask… how can those who mourn rejoice? In what sense do they mourn?

Throughout the ages, believers have encountered sorrow as they witnessed the troubles of the church. Those in Isaiah’s day saw the hypocrisy, unbelief, and idolatry among their own people. Those

realities, in light of God’s promises of blessing for the obedience and threats of punishment for the disobedience of his people troubled them greatly.

When they saw the Assyrians destroy the northern kingdom and invade Judah, they mourned. Later on, their hearts melted as the Babylonians carried both believers and unbelievers away into captivity. They mourned because they knew the sins of God’s people had brought about the exile. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of its unbelief.

The church has been persecuted over the centuries, and believers still suffer for their faith in Jesus. We don’t have to look far to see the erosion of morality and the abandonment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by so many in our own age. We too, mourn over the condition of the visible church. The church on earth remains a faithful little flock, but it’s battered and ridiculed by the world and even by some who claim to be Christian.

But Scripture tells us that even the very gates of hell will not triumph over the church. So we who mourn over the church, we who mourn over Jerusalem can rejoice.

Christ nurses and nurtures his Holy Church with his Holy Word, read and proclaimed. At the altar, Christ lovingly nurses us with his body and blood. Proclaiming his death until he comes, we rejoice as we are nursed back to life and satisfied at each Communion meal. This provision gives us a reason to rejoice.

Through Isaiah, the Lord promises peace, and that peace gives us a reason to rejoice. Of course, our sinful rebellion prevents us from experiencing it and living it. But Yahweh extends peace like a river to Jerusalem. That river of peace pours into the baptismal font. There we receive the gifts of peace, the forgiveness of sins, redemption from death and the devil, and eternal salvation to all who believe as the words and promises of God declare, purchased for us by Christ in his death and resurrection. Aman