As the 4th of July approaches, I am seeing more and more patriotically themed things floating around. Fireworks stands with little kids hopping around in Uncle Sam suits. Flags and shiny banners in windows. Lots of red, white, and blue.
And church. Oh how I wish we didn’t have to sing a song glorifying “America” in a place where only God should be glorified. How I wish that we wouldn’t lift ourselves up above other nations or peoples. How I wish that we could put aside our own hubris and self-importance and actually see the need in our world along with the good that comes from its peoples.
The United States is a good place. We do some good things. But we do many many bad things as well, and to glorify that in church is not good, I think.
We did have to sing a few patriotic songs today at church. I like the songs…I just don’t think they belong in church. So I sang them with just as much gusto as any hymn and just tried to block out the fact that I was in a sanctuary at that moment.
But we did sing one song today that I think is an especially good reminder for Americans at 4th of July. Here you go:
This Is My Song (Finlandia)
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
and hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;
myself I give thee; let thy will be done.
I decided today that I really do love this song.
“Uncle” Ward programs “This Is My Song” every year. For some of us it has become as much a part of Independence Day at St. Bart’s as ” Jesus Christ is Risen Today” is of Easter.
I wish he’d have programmed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — which I prefer to “The Star Spangled Banner” — the words are much better. The tunes are equally difficult.