Independence Day, July 4, 2010.   Collect: “O eternal God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old; grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have the grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. 1928 Book of Common Prayer   Reflecting on this prayer for Independence Day, what really stands out is a call to arms …………….in prayer and righteousness. If we truly believe our nation was established under God’s guidance and Holy Will, then we as citizens and as a nation must start behaving like He did! Acknowledging His guiding hand upon these United States of America as our founding fathers did! Our country as a whole is behaving like God is no longer guiding us. Our fault not His! The desire to maintain these liberties must be in the hearts, minds and will of the people, with grace from God, to maintain them. Our participation in prayer and righteousness is our call to arms.  It is time we as citizens and as a nation spent more time on our knees asking God for assistance and guidance for our nation.   The principles of Christianity were so deeply entrenched in the establishment of America that one must conclude that without God’s divine providence, there would never have been a country such as the United States of America. This nation is the first nation in all of recorded history to be established for the express purpose of acknowledging the sovereignty of God and the dignity of man. Among those principles, that came straight from the teachings of Jesus, are the rights and responsibilities of the individual, the necessity for a spirit of unity and an overall sense of union.   Jesus taught that the greatest commandment of all is for each person to love God with all of his being. He showed us that this is the beginning point of all that matters about life and existence. He also showed us that the second greatest commandment is to love others as we would love ourselves. It is only when we have the proper relationship with God that we can fully and appropriately relate to our fellow human beings. This is the type of framework in which the government of the United States was formulated.   “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”   This simple pledge, was written by a minister, Mr. Francis Bellamy for a “Pledge of Allegiance” for U. S. schoolchildren to recite on October 12, in commemoration of the discovery of America. It was altered from the original in 1954 when President Eisenhower modified it to read “one nation under God.” These 32 words contain four themes which account for much of the greatness of our land. They are: (1) loyalty to country, (2) unity of the people, (3) reverence for God and (4) freedom for all.   What is known as the “American idea” is woven into those four themes. Though we are a nation of immigrants who came to these shores from various regions of the world, we have been forged into a national community by the principle of democracy and unity in a common cause. We are the United States!   Happy Birthday, America! Your flag waves proudly in the free air—a symbol of all that makes you great. Whether at a ball game, political rally, concert, or worship service, she still sends a chill up and down our spine. Happy Birthday, America! Your currency still carries the motto, “in God we trust.” May we learn to transfer this motto, from our coins to our hearts, directing us to be good citizens! Happy Birthday, America! May your eagle, the symbol of power, strength, and independence, fly proudly above our land. Remember that even she is a creation of God. Happy Birthday, America! May your citizens forsake their independent spirit enough to look to the Lord God Almighty for the inner freedom that only He can give. A friend of mine recently said, "Patriotism is something that should be felt and expressed daily, not just around a specific holiday, don't you think? The American flag flies high above our self-absorbed heads every day.”   Remember, the Declaration of Independence is also a Declaration of Dependence on God’s divine providence.   Our nation desperately needs more respect, more reverence for God. Today, in our American culture, we have crossed the line from disrespect to outright blasphemy! God’s Holiness is mocked, it is open season on the character of God.   Ignore the “guidance system” (from God) that was built into our Republic and we are inevitably destined to self-destruct. William Penn said it best: “Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.”   Recently, I saw a news story on television of a political rally where a man stood up and proudly announced he had served our country as a Marine and asked the question if anyone had every heard the 4th verse of National Anthem? Without waiting for an answer he began to sing the 4th verse.   O! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: "in God is our trust" and the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!   In God we must trust! God Bless America!