INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
On July 4, 1776, our forefathers bravely advanced the cause of freedom and liberty by declaring this nation's independence and sovereignty and that all her citizens possessed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness given by our Creator. It is appropriate therefore as we celebrate our nation's 244th birthday that we give thanks to that Creator for our liberties and pray for continued blessings upon our country, our government and our fellow citizens. And for the advancement of those God given rights to ALL our citizens
The earth is the Lord's,
And all who dwell in it.
God is Lord over the nations:
God sits on his holy throne.
He rules by his might forever.
His eyes keep watch on the nations.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
For God judges the peoples with equity and guides the nations upon earth.
O Lord, be gracious to us and bless us,
And make your face to shine upon us.
May your ways be known upon the earth,
Your saving power among all peoples.
Lord of the nations, guide our people by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom. Give us what outward prosperity may be your will, but above all things, give us faith in you, that our nation may bring glory to your name and blessings to all peoples; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Collect
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament Deuteronomy 10:17-21
The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.
Psalm 145
1 I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.
4 One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.
5 I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty *
and all your marvelous works.
6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.
7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness;
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, *
and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.
19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.
20 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.
21 The Lord preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.
The Epistle Hebrews 11:8-16
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old-- and Sarah herself was barren-- because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
The Gospel Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
My youngest grandson at 10 is a competitive golfer. Just amazing. Wins regional tournaments and competes with the best in his age from all over the country. I never played golf, but he’s got me hooked on it. Just finished watching my favorite golf movie “Bagger Vance” for the dozenth time. I even watch the old-time movie cuts that get included. Recently one caught my eye that’s painfully relevant to our time and this weekend. The 2011 US Open won by the legend Rory Mcllroy. It was interspersed with patriotic images and then a group of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. What really caught my attention was not what they said but what they did not say:
“One nation with liberty and justice for all.”
Now I am old enough to remember when the missing line was added: “under God.” My first thought was that it was a politically correct political statement. The more I thought about it the more it bothered me for a much more profound reason. Those two words speak powerfully about who we are as a nation. Not that we ae particularly religious or pious but that we are a people restrained from absolute power. Like Biblical kings (David, Solomon…) our leaders are restrained by a recognition that they are not absolute. Power is distributed in lots of ways: Three branches of government, states and federal, accountable to a founding document “The Constitution.” It’s genius.... or is it just Biblical. No one person, or section of government, is ever the sole measure of truth and justice. Those old Biblical kings were held in check by realizing that they were not the final arbiters of anything, but God was. All their power was derivative. I am quite sure our form of government has endured because of the secular version of this living in our form of government. Run God – or the secular reflection of God’s supremacy – out of society and you get tyranny. When there is no “check on power,” you get almost certainly tyranny: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Castro. The list is almost endless and what they all have in common is that they all drove God from the public square. Centralized power; became the sole measure of truth and justice. That’s how tyrants are made.
So, you are saying, what about the foibles of our leaders? They have many. Because they are, like all of us, sinners. They wander off into their own devices. In Biblical times, God sent the prophets to call them back time and time again. We have our system of government inherited from an extraordinary group of “founders.” (Who, by the way, knew their Bible even if they did not believe its faith teachings) to call them back. That still works today.
When we stray away, we get into trouble. Those little words matter. They remind us, and those who govern us, that they are not independent. They are accountable.
As we celebrate our nations birthday again let us be grateful and ever vigilant. Let us never forget that we are a nation “under God.”
Amen.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
Merciful Lord, hear the prayers of Your people and grant to us grace sufficient for our needs and all those for whom we pray.
Brief silence
Our God and Lord, as once Your people received You in joy, open our hearts to rejoice in Your coming so that we may meet You in Your Word, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Help us to bless and extol Your name before the nations and to declare Your salvation to the generations to come, proclaiming that You are merciful and gracious and abounding in steadfast love. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our merciful God and Lord, You are good to all Your creation. Continue to bless Your Church and to provide for her faithful bishops, priests and deacons who will preach and teach Your Word and church workers who will serve us in Your name. Make bold our witness before the nations and help us to act in love toward our neighbors. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our Creator and Lord, from You all things come and to You are all things directed. Provide for our nation faithful leaders who will hear and heed Your law, protect and defend the citizens, preserve the precious gift of liberty, and inspire us to use our freedom honorably. Make us mindful of the heritage our forebears have given to this land, and guide us to be faithful in our stewardship of all the resources You have provided. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our compassionate Lord, we do not suffer alone the pain and afflictions of this life, but we live them out within Your grace and are sustained by Your mercy. Hear us on behalf of the sick, those who suffer, the grieving and those to whom death is near especially. According to Your will, deliver them from their afflictions and give to all Your strength, patience and hope, that they may endure to eternal life. Show compassion and drive all pestilence from our land. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our gentle God and Lord, You have invited us to come to You with the heavy burdens of this life, that we may find rest and peace in Your mercy. Grant relief to those who struggle, supply to those in need, hope to those who fear, and peace to those who are anxious, that we may be delivered from all adversity and brought to everlasting life, where we shall join the saints of old in Your presence forevermore. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
All these things, blessed Lord, we pray You to grant us according to Your merciful goodness and for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
God, the Source of glory,
God, the Word of life,
God, the Spirit of truth + bless us all,
Amen.
We go forth into the world to serve God with gladness; to be of good courage;
To hold fast to that which is good; to render to no one evil for evil;
To strengthen the fainthearted; to support the weak;
help the afflicted; to honor all people.
To love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
