God's Country?

Here at good ole HU we have mandatory morning chapel 5 days a week. Now there are a lot of people that hate this. They don't like being forced to worship, they'd rather be sleeping, they feel they get enough "spiritual stuff" already, or they simply just don't want to be there. I understand that position and I admit that sometimes I don't want to go either, but most of the time I like chapel. I love getting to start my day praising God with other believers. It's really an amazing opportunity to have the chance to worship with so many other Christians. For many people they will never even meet that many Christians in their entire life, let alone get to worship with all at once. So for the most part chapel is a great thing. But the benefits of chapel is not my point tonight.
Today was "Constitution Day." The thing that really bothered me was this attitude of entitlement that permeated the service. We began with our usual 3 songs all of which were songs that made me think of a Santa Clause God who is here to grant our wishes ("Mansion, Robe, and Crown.") Then they talked about the history of the Constitution and the conclusion I drew from the whole thing was more or less, "America is great, our Constitution is great, and we are so lucky to be Americans with all these freedoms." I already have issues with the National arrogance that is so frequently displayed these days. Today it felt like there was this underlying attitude of we are so great and because of this we deserve all these great blessings. Yes, we have certainly been blessed. But I do not believe it is because the USA is the land of God's new chosen people. He loves us all equally whether we are from Texas or Timbuktu. To take a time, like chapel, which is supposed to be devoted to worshiping God, and turning it into a focus on Patriotism is wrong. Anything that takes the glory away from God is wrong. And anyone who claims to be entitled to the gifts of God is wrong. No one has earned the blessings we have received. I may have been born an American, but when I chose to follow Christ I gave up that citizenship to become a Citizen of God's kingdom.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." - Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)