Even on a good day, I have difficulty with flags in church - The Episcopal Flag, the Anglican Communion Flag and the United States Flag.
That probably speaks more to the power of symbolism than it does to anything in particular about any one of those flags.
Then again, given the mess in the World Wide Anglican Communion, especially with "Mitregate", I'm not too overly fond of having an Anglican flag in church.
I've never been comfortable with the American Flag in the sanctuary - separation of church and state and all that.
Given the messes in Afghanistan and Iran, it's especially uncomfortable to have "Old Glory" in the place where we're supposed to be about God's glory.
Then again, the men and women who are on the front lines need our support and prayer.
A few years ago, I put together this "Service of Lessons and Hymns for Independence Day" as a way to deal with my own discomfort about celebrating this national holiday in church.
I wanted something that would help us put the gift of our freedom into historical context while still providing the message that our country was founded on the principle of "liberty and justice for all" - not "some".
We have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go.
I also wanted to put some of the hymns in our Hymnal into context. I rather like the way "We Gather Together to Ask the Lord's Blessing" fits nicely after the reading of the Mayflower Compact.
All the prayers come directly from the Book of Common Prayer.
So, here it is, friends. Feel free to copy, adapt and use (with proper attribution, of course). Let me know what you think.
A SERVICE OF LESSONS AND HYMNS FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY
Organ Voluntary
Entrance Hymn: 718 "God of Our Fathers"
Blessed be God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies.
And blessed be the Realm of God, now and forever.
BIDDING PRAYER: Hear the words of The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” As Christians who are Americans, we gather this day to thank God for the gifts of our freedom and liberty, to honor those whose vision, wisdom and sacrifice secured these ‘unalienable Rights’ for us and every generation, to confess that while we believe that all are created equal, we have not always allowed others to enjoy that freedom or those rights; we ask God’s forgiveness and call upon God’s unconditional love and boundless mercy to grant that we may be given the strength and courage to live more fully into our faith and beliefs. Let us pray:
O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth.
Lord, keep this nation under your care.
To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
To Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and justice served.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.
And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the well-being of our society; that we may serve you faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.
For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Amen.
Hymn 720 (verse 1) "National Anthem"
Let us now remember our history, that our past may inform our future.
A READING FROM THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT 1620
"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."
Hymn 433 "We Gather Together to ask the Lord's blessing"
A READING FROM THE PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Hymn 720 "National Anthem" (verse 2)
A READING FROM ABIGAIL ADAMS TO JOHN ADAMS,
MARCH 31, 1776
"I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute; but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up -- the harsh tide of master for the more tender and endearing one of friend. Why, then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity? Men of sense in all ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the (servants) of your sex; regard us then as being placed by Providence under your protection, and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness."
Hymn 716 "God Bless or Native Land”
A READING FROM CHIEF SEATTLE’S RESPONSE TO A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL’S OFFER TO PURCHASE THE REMAINDING SEATTLE LAND, 1845.
We will ponder your proposition and when we decide we will let you know. But should we accept it, I here and now make this condition that we will not be denied the privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our ancestors, friends, and children.
Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.
Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits.
And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude.
At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land. The White Man will never be alone.
Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds.
Hymn 385 "Many great, O Lord, are thy works"
A READING FROM A LETTER FROM THE BIRMINGHAM JAIL
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. April 16, 1963
Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.
Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place.
The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history.
So I have not said to my people: "Get rid of your discontent." Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label.
Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . ."
So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified.
We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.
Hymn: "We Shall Overcome" (insert)
A READING FROM LINCOLN’S 2ND INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 1865
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Hymn 597 "Oh Day of Peace that Dimly Shines" (vs. 1)
The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ, according to Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
"But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn. 'For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."
"All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Hymn 597 “Oh Day of Peace that Dimly Shines” (vs. 2)
Let us pray: Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there maybe justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy laws, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers of the People – Form III Book of Common Prayer, page 387
The Exchange of Peace
The Announcements
Offertory Anthem: "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (insert)
The Prayer of Great Thanksgiving Prayer C Book of Common Prayer, page 369
Sanctus: Holy, holy, holy Lord Hymnal, S-125
The Lord’s Prayer Book of Common Prayer, page 364
The Fraction and Invitation Book of Common Prayer, page 364
Post-communion Hymn 607 "O God of every nation" (kneeling as you are able)
Let us pray: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred with infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Final Blessing
Closing Hymn: 719 "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies"
Dismissal
Organ Voluntary
Elizabeth, this is absolutely marvelous. We will be having a traditional (for us!) service with a sermon, and there is so much here that will no doubt make its way into that sermon! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Magdalene. Glad you like it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful Service of Lessons and Hymns for our day of Independence, these collections of words from those who shaped our history should be cherished and given honor as you have strived to compose.
ReplyDeleteI myself long to see our National Flag standing within my church as a symbol that says to me that this, our Nations symbol of freedom, justice for all, it is the flag that so many young soldier put their lives in peril to ensure that we can sit and worship where ever, and with whom ever and to the G-d of our choosing.
To those of you who have never laid in a foxhole or bunker on some hill far away, scared to death, afraid that this would be the night you might die defending our battered shores. I ask you to let us see our National Flag standing in our places of worship in its silent memorial to those who have died for her. Standing silently to remind us that we must always struggle and fight for our freedoms and right and respect from each of us, to each other standing in the shadow that falls on our country.
This is what I want from those of you who have never fought for our country in a foreign country, cold, hungry, frighten by what who might face is mortal combat. I want you to know why I want to see our National Flag in my house of worship.
Thanks, TwoAnunties. Your words have helped push my ambivalence.
ReplyDeleteWOW -- thanks for posting this ... I've got a retired deacon who is celebrating his 35th anniversary of his ordination ... and he's 84. He asked to preach I said yes. Since then two trustworthy folks have warned me that previously he has used the pulpit to preach against lgbtq folk. I don't know him well. I did ask what he would preach about and he said it would be about scripture and patriotic stuff. I've never checked up on the outline or script for a preacher before should I ask to see his?
ReplyDeleteElaine - Well, if you have to ask the question . . . .
ReplyDeleteI would say yes. Absolutely.
Thanks for these readings and hymns. You've given us much to think about. I, too, have been on a journey with the ideas of separation of church and state. Personally, I wonder whether the ideals presented to me in childhood - "ForGodandCountry" as one melded concept - are what held me back. In some ways, however, it's a relief to admit that I live in an imperfect county and am part of an imperfect church. I have many privileges as a citizen of this imperfect country, and they mark me, for good or ill, as I function in the world. My church does things I admire, then turns around and does things I don't admire. I can't distance myself from the "bad stuff" and identify only with the things I like. All of it needs prayer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MC. This service helps me to pray while others wave their flags.
ReplyDeleteIt frightens me to see national flags in our churches.
ReplyDeleteElaine, he has a right to his opinion. And done properly, is there not room enough to voice that opinion from the pulpit as much as there is space to affirm we who are GLBT folks?
What is more important is that you are avoiding a conversation that you need to have with him before sharing your pulpit with him. You need to be honest about his reputation in the pulpit and to determine if indeed it is his aim to address the issue of GLBT folks. If that is his intention then what is the GLBT issue's connection to the two occasions represented in the service where he has asked to preach? What relevance does the topic of GLBT folks have to his ordination? What relevance do GLBT folks have with a celebration of your nation's independence, other than what is obvious to most of the rest of us?
If he cannot make a legitimate connection to the occasion for the service other than his opportunity to spread his opposition to GLBT folks, then you need to state in no uncertain terms that it would be inappropriate to address the topic in this service and that he is not to do so.
And then you need to be prepared with plan B should he proceed to do it anyway. Such as the organist and choir prepared to stand and lead the congregation in a boisterous hymn while the ushers arrive to quietly escort him from the pulpit and the service.
Otherwise, he needs to not preach.
Generally, I agree with the positive comments you've received.
ReplyDeleteI do have something of a problem, however.
I deeply appreciated the inclusion of quotes from The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Chief Seattle. But no acknowledgment that for the better part of our history our treatment of and policies toward Native American peoples and African Americans was basically genocidal.
How can we ask for God's blessing upon our nation when there has been no call to repentance?!
Well, now I realize that I have yet another problem ... our national addiction to fossil fuels and the ravaging of God's good creation we have wrought on account of our addiction.
Surely this July 4th would warrant some mention of this concern as well?
I LOVE this service. A few years ago, the rector of my church asked me to chair a committee. The essence of the committee's work was not music or liturgy but at one meeting we ended up going down some of those paths and ended up debating the use of patriotic music and flags in the church. The meeting went from calm to heated a New York minute. In a split second, people were yelling and screaming at each other. Here I was in the midst of this wanting to hide under the table. I learned and realized then that regardless of how you feel about it, it is a hot button issue in many places, much like sexuality in some places. Passions can be strong on both sides of this one. I'm so glad I don't have to negotiate that issue any longer.
ReplyDeletePoints well made, Mack.
ReplyDeleteThere are the Prayers of the People where those petitions will be made.
This is a terrific service. Thanks so much for sharing. I have wrestled with these things for some time now and can appreciate what a great job you've done with it. I think its because you have encapsulated my sentiments about faith and country.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this - I think that the first time I discussed this with you was way back in 2008! I can not be at a liturgy and hear some God-awful jingoistic song and NOT think of you. You are the good part. As is God, who I am also thinking of at that time.
ReplyDeleteTwo Auntees comment is very thought provoking!
Hah! My word... difying!
This makes me think about the Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day) services I've attended in Canada and England. While similar services I've attended here seem to be about how mighty we are, the services I've been to in those countries have been much more somber, lifting up the sacrifice of both the living and the dead. I appreciate them very much, and wish ours were more like that.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you. I found your first posting of this service while searching for what hymns might be good for Sunday and realized that you'd put together something that I'd been wishing for and knew should be done. I'm clerk of session for a tiny church in Lordville, NY and we have a parade every July 4 at noon. Of course there is a church service this 4th of July since it is Sunday, but we've voted to have one every 4th of July no matter what day it falls on. Your service is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I'm in the UK and I lead a monthly family praise worship at an Anglican church in Manchester.
ReplyDeleteThe next one happens to fall on July 4 and it seemed a shame to let the occasion pass without mentioning Independence Day, but I had struggled to find a relevance for us over here.
Now I know where I'm going with it. Thank you again.
Wonderful service! I wish I had seen it in time to use it this weekend. Oh, well - next year.
ReplyDeleteJust one thing I would change - actually, remove. Your quotation of Chief Seattle's speech perpetuates what is most likely a hoax. The chief spoke in his native language without a written text. Years later, a certain Dr Henry A Smith wrote down what he said was in Seattle's speech, based on his hand-written notes taken as another speaker translated for the Chief. There is little historical evidence that Seattle ever said the things in the "remembered" speech. It's a bunch of nice words, but probably not what the Chief actually said. (See various historical commentaries for confirmation of all this.)
Might I encourage you to take a look at the writings of Henry George (b. Philadelphia, 1839; d. NYC, 1897) including some speeches -- e.g., "The Crime of Poverty" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal" -- and two books -- "Progress and Poverty" and "Social Problems" -- all available online. For a short intro see http://www.wealthandwant.com/docs/Kiefer_Huntington.htm
ReplyDeleteor Weld Carter's "An Introduction to Henry George" at wealthandwant.com. (Weld was my grandfather, and wrote this circa 1955.)
Further, you might google Henry George's name and "liberty."
I've come, slowly and sometimes grudgingly, to my late grandparents' conclusion, that Henry George's ideas will bring us a lot closer to the ideals we hold dear.
Lo, these many years later, a non-Anglican comes seeking desperately something to make an Independence Day service more palatable... thank you, thank you, thank you.
ReplyDelete