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| "Blue Marble" photo taken from Apollo 17 in 1972. From this angle, the setting of the Pentecost story would be near the top of the globe. |
"We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia—yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!”
Acts 2:9-11 story of Pentecost (Living Bible)
We hear a lot about Christian nationalism these days, the belief that the United States is an exceptional nation that is to be ruled by a certain narrow understanding of the Bible. But Jesus and the prophets announced God's sovereignty as encompassing all of humanity in every part of the globe. Together we are called to be a part of an international order subject to God's shalom of justice, grace and redemption.
The following paraphrase of Psalm 146 provides an example:
Our International Anthem
Praise Yahweh! Praise Yahweh!
All of us with united voice shout praise to Yahweh!
Our Pledge of Allegiance
We pledge allegiance to Yahweh as long as we live.
We proclaim God’s praises with every breath.
We will never place our confidence in the heads of nations;
We will never trust in them for help.
We know that when their brief time is over,
that all their vain promises will evaporate with them.
But our unwavering confidence is in Yahweh
our supreme commander-in-chief,
our hope is in the Creator and Lord of all,
Lord of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them,
who keeps every promise forever.
Our God Movement Manifesto
Yahweh brings about justice for the oppressed,
offers food for the hungry.
Yahweh frees prisoners
opens the eyes of the blind.
Yahweh lifts up those who are downtrodden
loves the godly and upright.
The Lord protects refugees and immigrants,
cares for orphans and the homeless,
but frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever
and will remain faithful throughout all generations.
Praise Yahweh!
