July 4 is Independence Day, the anniversary of the day when the United States declared itself a sovereign nation. Our culture values independence and self-sufficiency. But while we enjoy celebrating our country’s independence, we also must remember that God didn’t create human beings to be independent. God wants us to be interdependent, to draw strength from one another. Sometimes it requires courage not to be independent—to admit that we rely on other people and to allow other people to rely on us. We see interdependence in the persons of the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. LinC explores interdependence, how we need one another, and how God loves all of us equally. Key Scriptures: Genesis 37:18-29; 42:5-24a; Matthew 3:13-17. Everyone’s favorite red-and-blue-clad webslinger returns to movie theaters this month in The Amazing Spider-Man. In this film Peter Parker must set aside his personal desires in order to save the people he loves and the entire city of New York from Dr. Curt Connors, who has turned himself into a monstrous and self-obsessed super villain called The Lizard. The film shows the dangers of selfishness and the importance of making the needs of others more of a priority than our personal wants. Next week we’ll talk about how Jesus calls us, his followers, to unselfishly give of ourselves.
