May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: ⁸ There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless- a miserable business! ⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: ¹⁰ If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? ¹² Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)

In Christ's name and to his glory, dear friends: Today wise Solomon compares the sadness and difficulty of being alone to the joy and strength of being united with others. It is not good for man to be alone, God said when he established the family in the Garden. God created people to interact socially. When it comes to our spiritual lives God also desires, creates, and encourages unity and interaction. Let us not give up meeting together, God says in Hebrews meaning that Christians are to get together in congregations for worship and study of the Word and the work of his kingdom. So on this Fourth of July we will consider what God says to us about the benefits of being united-united as citizens of our country, yes; but even more important united as citizens of heaven; and most important united with the Lord through faith in Christ. We use as our central thought the familiar UNITED WE STAND. This slogan was first heard during the American Revolution. It was during WWII, July 1942 that it caught fire. That year all magazines in the U.S. agreed to show the slogan along with the Stars and Stripes on their covers. Some of the art and design work of that campaign will endure as long as our flag endures.

Picture a pyramid as we consider the blessings of "united we stand." Picture that pyramid in three parts-the base, the middle, and the smaller point on top. The broadest part at the base is the most important of the pyramid. Without its support the other two parts tumble. Let this represent that united with the Lord we stand.

We are getting what our sins deserve, said the one thief to the other as the Lord hung on the cross between them. Sin, the breaking of God's laws, has its consequences. The wages of sin is being expelled from God presence, what the Bible calls death. Sin destroyed the unity that God created with himself in our original parents, Adam and Eve. God's justice and holiness will not allow sin to be a part of his company. Our original and actual sinfulness, the bad we do and the good we fail to do, break unity with God.

Yet, unity with God is a reality. How? With man, this is impossible, our Savior once said, but with God all things are possible. The Triune God has united us with himself. Solomon's comment about the strength of a 3-strand string reminds us of the strength that reunited us to the Lord. Moved solely by his grace and mercy, the Father planned to bring us back into union with himself. The Son lived and died to nullify the sin that had and does disunite us from God. The Spirit came from the Father and the Son and worked the faith by which we have peace with God and are united to him. Unity restored by God's grace alone! United with the Lord we stand as his beloved children today.

Because we are united to the Lord, we are united with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let the middle part of the pyramid represent this truth that united with our fellow Christians we stand.

The Lord who unites each Christian with himself through faith in Jesus at the same time unites each Christian with all other Christians. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22) You and I cannot force or create this unity. God alone can and does unite us with other Christians by giving each one faith in the one Lord. Sadly, people can disrupt the unity God creates among brothers and sisters in the faith. When one in his weakness refuses to believe some part of God's Word and will not act according to it, he disrupts the unity God fosters. So we are united under one banner-God's holy, inspired Word. When someone walks out from under that banner, he disrupts the unity God makes by faith. So the Apostle urges us to keep the unity of the spirit, and that unity is kept and preserved as we keep in the Word by which the Lord creates faith and unites us. (Ephesians 4)

Now because we stand united with our fellow Christians we enjoy both the privileges and blessings of unity. Solomon speaks of those. There is cooperation (v.9) and help (v.10) and the warmth of companionship (v.11) and the strength that comes from having others watch over you and defend you (v.12). These are blessings we enjoy because we are not alone, but are united by God with Christian brothers and sisters. And the same list is also a list of my responsibilities since united we stand. I am to cooperate and not frustrate the work of the church. I am to be a helper not just wait for others to help me. I am to be a friend and offer the warming encouragement. I am to defend and help others. Why? Because united we are and united we stand. God, help us to receive the blessings of unity with thankfulness and to be active in living up to the responsibilities of unity.

And finally the small, 3^rd, upper part of the pyramid-let this remind us that united we stand as citizens of our country.

This unity too God establishes when he in his providence gives us life in our time and places a government over us. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13) It is the smallest of our 3-part pyramid, for the blessings and responsibilities of citizenship in an earthly government is less and limited. Government authority works only in the realm of the temporary and earthly so it is far less important than what we gain through God's eternal and spiritual kingdom. Still, today Jesus says, Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, meaning be thankful for what God gives via earthly government and be careful to give the honor and obedience due. So let us be praying for the good of our country, for our leaders on the federal and state level, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2). Let us not only enjoy the blessings of our union but let us also live up to our responsibilities that we might be part of the solutions that our country needs and not part of the problem.

On our dollar bill is a pyramid. It is a symbol of strength and stability, as the pyramids in Egypt have endured so long so may our country. The pyramid is unfinished symbolizing that we still have work to do, still growing and maturing. That can remind us Christians that we enjoy so much-all of it God's doing. We have the foundation of unity with God through Christ. We have the middle of unity with fellow Christians with all it's blessings and unity with our fellow US citizens as well. But let us always see that there is room to grow and mature. No such growth and maturing is needed in what God gives us. His work is complete. But on our part, by his working-appreciating and living in his blessings-Lord, help us to grow.   Amen.