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Prayer for a Nation on the Fourth of July

10/12/14

You created this land,
When you spread the waters.

You pushed up the mountains,
You scooped out the seas.

You covered this continent,
With majestic forests.

You created raindrops,
That formed into streams.

Your butterflies and eagles,
Flew in your skies.

Your salamanders and trout,
Filled lakes and rivers.

Your buffalo and elk,
Grazed on the prairies.

Then came the people,
Searching for game.

In canoes and on foot,
Exploring the continents.

Enjoying your bounty,
They built the first hearths.

With passion and with love,
They conceived your children.

New mothers and new fathers,
Forming sacred families.

America, the great mother,
Providing for them all.
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Then other explorers,
Crossed the oceans and wilds.

Seeking fame and riches,
But blind to real treasures.

Transplanting tired Europe,
To America's fertile ground.

A gift to the downtrodden,
Both a land and a vision.

You were there, God,
To comfort the needy.

You hoped that they'd break,
The cycle of suffering.

A new Jerusalem beaconed,
For your chosen people.

So you offered a covenant,
To these faithful tribes.

You forgave many errors,
Of intolerance and pride.

They asked for your blessing,
Your charity and love.

Then the 4th of July,
They declared a rebellion.

With intellect and faith,
They made a Declaration.

These rational men,
Were driven by a vision.

They formed a new nation,
Paid for with blood.

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A nation to be governed,
By gentry and farmers.

They mapped out the future,
With a new Constitution.

They divided up power,
Granting representation.

The judges were honest,
They couldn't be bought.

Rulers worked for the people,
and despised corruption.

There was freedom of thought,
And freedom to move.

Soon settlers grew restless,
Dreams crossed the mountains.

So began the march west,
Of husbands and wives,

Joining the parade were,
Quilters, and chefs,
Brewers and bakers.

They harnessed a continent,
Peopled with new tribes.

From the Hudson to Lake Erie,
They dug miles of canals.

They built industries and cities,
Cut forests and dug mines.

But all was not well,
In the toiling republic.


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Immigrants and slaves built,
Aristocracy and wealth.

Captains of industry,
And planters of cotton.

Preferring riches over peace,
And war over reason.

Armies and Lincoln,
Liberated the slaves.

At a price of great enmity,
The victory was won.

Congress gave freedmen,
The opportunity to vote,
But no land or jobs.

So no healing occurred,
For many generations.

No spirit of compassion,
Helped the liberated souls.

So America looked West,
Hoping for redemption.

Spell-binding preachers,
Promised freedom and salvation.

From California beaconed gold,
From Oregon lush valleys.

Young families with a vision,
Headed west from Missouri.

Iron rails climbed the heights,
Of the Rockies and Sierras.

While new waves of immigrants,
Crossed the Atlantic.


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Desperate to work,
With both hand and fist.

They sought to defend,
Their labor and rights.

Overworked, underpaid,
They transformed the nation.

God, was this a new covenant?
Was this your new plan?

To distract the nation,
War became a new cult.

This ritual of fighting,
Turned into a creed.

God, should your people,
Battle without end?

War benefited some,
Bringing power and wealth.

The politics of fear,
Became very addicting.

Leaders feared reason,
Equality and justice.

They manipulated workers,
Women and children.

Then an age of efficiency,
Eliminated workers.

Small farms disappeared,
And so did the families.

The new covenant of power,
Was pleasure and greed.

It was preached every day,
On the illuminated screen.
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Materialist values,
Poisoned a nation.

Many leaders were blinded,
By the revered GNP.

Some still were faithful,
With heart and with spirit.

They listened to the message,
And wept for the nation.

In the quiet of their homes,
They found sacred ground.

They asked for your strength,
Your grace and your love.

They valued the understanding,
You gave to their mind.

They saw how natural science,
Was your great design.

They loved your Divine Word,
In its latest edition.

They knew you conversed,
With all generations.

They saw virtue leads to,
Sound mind and good health.

That communities are sacred,
When families look to you.

Our nations true mission,
Is justice, not power.

So dear Lord hear our plea,
On this Fourth of July.


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That our hearts remain open,
To your cleansing grace.

Help us live by your word,
Let us listen to your call.

Take compassion on our children,
Imbue them with virtue.

Let each of our dreams,
Contribute to this nation.

Open up our closed minds,
To your liberty and justice.

Help us choose leaders,
Who receive your inspiration.

That united together,
We form a just nation.

Known for its virtue,
Not its wealth, nor its power.

One people, under God,
Seeking justice for all.


















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