Daily Devotion - Monday, July 5

Independence Reflections

Throughout this week the devotions will have a patriotic theme. We begin with some lyrics that you will recognize immediately. Try to get the feeling that Samuel Smith might have had as he penned these words 170 years ago. The first public performance was July 4, 1832 in Boston.

My country ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty: of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside let freedom ring.

My native country—thee,
Land of the noble free, thy name I love:
I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song.
Let all that breathe partake, let mortal tongues awake,
Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God to thee,
Author of liberty, to thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.

As we think about independence almost a decade after the tragedy of September 11, I must ask if two reactionary wars have made our land brighter or dimmer? Maybe there is something to taking care of our land and our people from shore to shore. If we struggle with that priority, America will truly be blessed.

A prayer: God of our mothers and fathers, create a sensitive and seeking spirit within me and within all my brothers and sisters who live in this nation of freedom. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
07.05.10