Oh, Say Can You See?
Reflections on Independence Day

As I pen these words, July 4th already has passed into the mist of human memory. Since July 4 fell on Sunday this year (thanks to LifeSong for such a memorable worship experience), Monday was the official day off for most folk. Such was the case for me, at least.

The day was filled with very little activity really. It seemed to lazily drag along. There were the usual things. Hamburgers. Watermelon. More Fireworks. In fact, neigbhors at this moment are shooting off the remander of their pyrotechnic stash (I hope they'll be finished by bedtime).

Throughout this rather lazy day, I have reflected on the meaning of Idependence Day. As I watched, and assisted in sending whistling fireballs into the air, I kept thinking about our National Anthem. Not only is the song's range one of the most difficult to vocally navigate, it's words equally are challenging. Not so much their pronunciation or even their meaning. Few folks likely fully understand Francis Scott Keys emotions as he described "Old Glory" intermittently illuminated by the "rockets' red glare," and "bombs bursting in air." From his perch on an unnamed British vessel, where he was detained, 8 miles below Fort McHenry during it's bombardment, Key strained throughout the night to determine the direction of the fight. To his utter delight, the flag remained flying proudly, though tattered, over the fort. This sight inspired him to write the "Star Spangled Banner."

Written to the tune of an English tavern song (Anacreon in Heaven), Key's lyrics to this English tune finally became our national anthem in 1931. While we are most familiar with only the first stanza, there actually are a total of four. The last stanza in particular is of great relevance to our current cultural situation. One can nearly feel the emotions of this Episcopalian swell as he scribbled on a piece of paper these final words to a moving song:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-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 our post-Christian, pluralistic world, perhaps we should dust off this old stanza and reflect on it's sentiments. Key saw our nation (as reflected in the tenacity of Fort McHenry) "heaven-resuced," preserved by "the Power" who should be praised, and one whose motto should ever be "In God is our trust." In reality, then, our "Idependence" was seen by those who fought for it as ultimately "dependent" on our God. May the church universal remind our culture of the One Who holds our nation in His sovereign hands. And, may he preserve us!