Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Pondering the Fourth of July

By Pastor William Jenkins

July 12, 2007

The recent movie “300” tells the story from 450 BC when the Persians were advancing into Europe. Leonidas with his small army of Greeks held them off at Thermopylae Pass. Though Leonidas died in the attempt and nearly all of his men were killed, this was one of the most decisive battles in history as it paved the way for Alexander the Great to conquer the known world and advance the western world view. Everything that depended on their heroism could not be known by the men who became the heroes at Thermopylae. They had no guarantee of the future. They simply committed themselves to their duty and to the defense of their people. History has made heroes of them.

In 1776 the Americans who took their courage in hand and signed the Declaration of Independence had no guarantee of the future. Indeed, most people looking at it objectively would have said those men were doomed to die as traitors, that they were signing their death warrants! Defeat would have sent them into the history books as a group of well-meaning rebels who were executed in a futile cause. Based on the outcome, history has made heroes of them all.

Commitment to a cause is not something with a guarantee attached to it. Whether at Thermopylae or Independence Hall, great moments are only seen to be great after the fact. It is our lot in life to discover where our courage lies and to commit ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Most all heroes live by the conviction that unless there is something in life worth dying for there isn’t much of anything worth living for. Think about it.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

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