It’s here. The day we celebrate not just independence but the establishment of a new Nation, a new way of thinking about the relationship of a government to its people. Many celebrate this day by going to a beach, taking a walk in the woods, having a barbecue, but there are more meaningful ways to celebrate of what the Declaration of Independence meant not just for those souls who signed it but for us today as well.
Yes, we know that women were not included in an 18th century framework, and, yes, we know that slavery was a grim reality the new Nation would not confront until almost a century later. But that document was more than a declaration of “independency,” as it was called. It was a statement that we share a common humanity.
On this day each of us should read again the Declaration of Independence. As a Nation, a community of equals before God and government, we are called to live the ideals that to which so many gave their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
Prayer for the Day
O God, Source of life, help us in this confusing time
And grant us the ability to stretch across boundaries;
Give us the courage to confront fear and hatred
And to continue to search for justice, peace, and truth.
May we search for a future full of the promises we have made,
To our community, our Nation, and the world.
In the name of the One who gives us strength always,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
But you must remember that Arbitary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken.
- Abagail Adams, letter to John Adams May 7, 1776 (1744-1818)
Never before in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profound, eloquent and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality.
- Martin Luther King, sermon July 4, 1965 (1929-1968)
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Paul, letter to the church in Galatia – Galatians 3:23