This hymn sing is cross-posted on https://asingingpeople.blogspot.com/
It also includes a Native land recongition and this website can be used as a resource to personalize it for your geographical region: https://native-land.ca/
Introduction: Fourth of July in Church?
Colossians 1:15-20:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
Introduction: Fourth of July in Church?
Colossians 1:15-20:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
It is the weekend of Fourth of July, Independence Day, and the milestone of 250 years as a nation today in The United States of America.
The recognition of this day in churches is a controversial decision. There will be churches that are draped in flags, red, white, and blue and full of patriotic hymns and worship services who let this secular, national holiday pass without recognition as it is just that - a secular, non-religious day.
Right now, I believe it is more important than ever to take stock of our whole lives through the lens of our faith and following Jesus. This includes how we engage with and live within our country. Perhaps more than ever, there are many forces which seek to woo us away from Jesus as our primary source of identity, hope, trust, and salvation. Christian Nationalism, which co-opts Christian imagery and ideology to interweave it with political ideology, is one of those seductive heresies. Christian Nationalism places Christ and country as equal powers in our lives, or even country above Christ, distorting the Kingship of Christ. It erroneously places our hope in political power, or in our status of citizens of a Nation, rather than in the life of Jesus. It must cause us to pause anytime we hear of country and God in conversation with one another - does the conversation promote fear and a narrow definition of what it means to be an American and a Christain? Does it cause us to rely on a political candidate or party above Jesus? Or does it generate genuine love of our fellow compatriots, pride in our homeland, and a desire to serve one another in Christian love?
For us in this congregation at this moment, we are all probably Christians and we are all probably Americans and we cannot divorce the two identities from one another. When we claim Christ as Lord, we claim Christ’s lordship over all things in our lives. All relationships and all identities - including country.
This means we should reflect on what it means to be a Christian and an American. We should thank God for the blessings of our home land: the beautiful natural landscape and its resources, from Redwoods to grassy plains to Mountains and sea shores. We can thank God for the freedom of religion, protected in the Constitution that allows us and many to gather to freely worship without fear of persecution or arrest from our government. We can admit love for our homeland, all the people, gifts, and opportunities it has given us. We can celebrate this holiday and this anniversary.
We should also look at our country - in the past and the present - through the lens of Christ’s Lordship and the two greatest commandments so that we may better love and serve God and neighbor as we move into the future. We lament all the times we've gotten it wrong, when the imago Dei, the image of God in our neighbors, has been ignored or debased in the name of Country. We confess the times we've been or are complicit in systemic sins. We also look to the slow and steady arc of Justice and give thanks for all the strides we've made, for times when we have loved one another, for when we have been Christ for one another, and allowed our country to be a place where all people are free and all people are seen as beloved Children of God. When we get the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. right, echoing his words with our actions in his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,”: "When we allow freedom to ring... we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"
And so, out of love of God, and love for our neighbor, which includes love of country, let us sing “America (My Country Tis of Thee),” UMH 697, vs. 1, 2, 4
Native & Indigenous Recognition
The recognition of this day in churches is a controversial decision. There will be churches that are draped in flags, red, white, and blue and full of patriotic hymns and worship services who let this secular, national holiday pass without recognition as it is just that - a secular, non-religious day.
Right now, I believe it is more important than ever to take stock of our whole lives through the lens of our faith and following Jesus. This includes how we engage with and live within our country. Perhaps more than ever, there are many forces which seek to woo us away from Jesus as our primary source of identity, hope, trust, and salvation. Christian Nationalism, which co-opts Christian imagery and ideology to interweave it with political ideology, is one of those seductive heresies. Christian Nationalism places Christ and country as equal powers in our lives, or even country above Christ, distorting the Kingship of Christ. It erroneously places our hope in political power, or in our status of citizens of a Nation, rather than in the life of Jesus. It must cause us to pause anytime we hear of country and God in conversation with one another - does the conversation promote fear and a narrow definition of what it means to be an American and a Christain? Does it cause us to rely on a political candidate or party above Jesus? Or does it generate genuine love of our fellow compatriots, pride in our homeland, and a desire to serve one another in Christian love?
For us in this congregation at this moment, we are all probably Christians and we are all probably Americans and we cannot divorce the two identities from one another. When we claim Christ as Lord, we claim Christ’s lordship over all things in our lives. All relationships and all identities - including country.
This means we should reflect on what it means to be a Christian and an American. We should thank God for the blessings of our home land: the beautiful natural landscape and its resources, from Redwoods to grassy plains to Mountains and sea shores. We can thank God for the freedom of religion, protected in the Constitution that allows us and many to gather to freely worship without fear of persecution or arrest from our government. We can admit love for our homeland, all the people, gifts, and opportunities it has given us. We can celebrate this holiday and this anniversary.
We should also look at our country - in the past and the present - through the lens of Christ’s Lordship and the two greatest commandments so that we may better love and serve God and neighbor as we move into the future. We lament all the times we've gotten it wrong, when the imago Dei, the image of God in our neighbors, has been ignored or debased in the name of Country. We confess the times we've been or are complicit in systemic sins. We also look to the slow and steady arc of Justice and give thanks for all the strides we've made, for times when we have loved one another, for when we have been Christ for one another, and allowed our country to be a place where all people are free and all people are seen as beloved Children of God. When we get the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. right, echoing his words with our actions in his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,”: "When we allow freedom to ring... we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"
And so, out of love of God, and love for our neighbor, which includes love of country, let us sing “America (My Country Tis of Thee),” UMH 697, vs. 1, 2, 4
Native & Indigenous Recognition
Psalm 24:1-2: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it, for he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.”
The story of our nation cannot be told without recognizing the Indigenous peoples who were here before European settlers. The land our church sits on was originally lived on and stewarded by people from the Osage, Erie, and Kaskaskia nations. In fact, even the name of our county, Mahoning, comes from an Indigenous word meaning “salt lick.”
The relationship between European settlers and the Indigenous people in the land was complicated and fraught. So too was and is the Indigenous relationship with Christianity. Cultural genocide was committed to erase Indigineous culture and religion and Christainity was forced upon many native children. And still, to this day, many Native peoples are followers of Jesus.
The Trail of Tears, the forced annexation and movement of Indigenous people from their Native lands, is one of the great blots upon our nation. We recognize that people who confessed the name of Jesus committed this atrocity. We also recognize that non-Native Christians, out of great love of God and neighbor, walked in solidarity with their Native siblings on that dangerous journey. We also know that on that path, many Native peoples called out to Jesus in prayer and sung hymns to God along the way.
As we honor this momentous day in our country, we thank God for the people who came here before us and are still here. We pray for wisdom and hearts to love our neighbors and to continue to learn from them, including and especially our Indigenous neighbors.
Let us now listen to an Alleluia chorus sung in Cherokee. (Heleluyan, UMH 78)
The Moral Arc of the Universe
The story of our nation cannot be told without recognizing the Indigenous peoples who were here before European settlers. The land our church sits on was originally lived on and stewarded by people from the Osage, Erie, and Kaskaskia nations. In fact, even the name of our county, Mahoning, comes from an Indigenous word meaning “salt lick.”
The relationship between European settlers and the Indigenous people in the land was complicated and fraught. So too was and is the Indigenous relationship with Christianity. Cultural genocide was committed to erase Indigineous culture and religion and Christainity was forced upon many native children. And still, to this day, many Native peoples are followers of Jesus.
The Trail of Tears, the forced annexation and movement of Indigenous people from their Native lands, is one of the great blots upon our nation. We recognize that people who confessed the name of Jesus committed this atrocity. We also recognize that non-Native Christians, out of great love of God and neighbor, walked in solidarity with their Native siblings on that dangerous journey. We also know that on that path, many Native peoples called out to Jesus in prayer and sung hymns to God along the way.
As we honor this momentous day in our country, we thank God for the people who came here before us and are still here. We pray for wisdom and hearts to love our neighbors and to continue to learn from them, including and especially our Indigenous neighbors.
Let us now listen to an Alleluia chorus sung in Cherokee. (Heleluyan, UMH 78)
The Moral Arc of the Universe
Isaiah 58:6-10:
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.”
19th Century abolitionist and minister, Theodore Parker, once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
We can trace this moral arc through the history of our nation. Many of our country’s original rights and protections, including the right to vote, only applied to white men who owned land. From women to people of color, we have seen the expansion of rights and protections under the law these last 250 years. We celebrate every time the full humanity and voice of a beloved child of God is recognized.
We celebrate and thank God for all advocates who used their voices and lives to speak up for the rights, protection, and well-being of those on the margins. We thank God for all who stand up for justice and for the protection of the oppressed. We especially thank God for those who loose the bounds of injustice out of love for God - knowing that our God is a God who detests bondage and oppression and longs for all humans to be free. We thank our Exodus God for all who, like Moses, lead God’s people out of slavery and into abundance of life.
Slavery is the original sin of America, present at our founding, that we largely have still not wrestled with.
Enslaved people were often not allowed to have a Bible for themselves or were given a sanitized version of the Bible where stories of freedom and verses against slavery were removed. Many enslaved people rejected Christianity for the hateful religion of the master. Still many embraced the story of Moses, the story of Jesus, the story of a God who cared about injustice and who always acted to free the oppressed and to break any chains that kept people enslaved.
Enslaved workers in the in field would sing Spirituals like Wade in the Water to one another, hymns both about baptism and identity in Christ and coded messages of escape and the underground railroad.
Today we will sing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” - this is often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.” It recounts the journey of the moral arc towards justice - thanking God for God’s faithfulness through it all.
May we, as Christians and Americans, repent for when we have failed to continue to work of Jesus in letting the oppressed go free, we repent even more for the times we have been complicit in oppression - and we pray that Jesus would use us, here today, to continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world that loosen the bonds of injustice.
Let us sing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” UMH 519 - and as we sing it, out of respect for those who view this as a National Anthem of sorts, I invite you to stand in body or spirit as we sing.
Towards a Day of Peace
Isaiah 9:5: “For to us a child is born,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
His Name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God
My Father of Eternity,
Prince of Peace.”
Two things can be true at once.
Today and every day we can honor and thank those who serve in our military, who protected and protect our country, who have brought freedom to and defeated tyrants in our country and over the world - yes, we thank those who served and serve and thank God for those whose vocation has been in military service.
Would those who have served or are serving, please stand for a moment of recognition.
That can be true - while we also pray and look toward the day when peace reigns as we worship Jesus who is the Prince of Peace. Not the peace of the sword but a lasting peace that knows no ends.
Because both these things are true I want to lift up two American hymns.
First: The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
This hymn was originally written by an abolitionist for Union troops during the Civil War after the hymnist, Julia Ward Howe, visited a Union campsite. The hymn uses military language to recount God’s work in this world. The line from the fourth verse echoes what has been the work and fate of many who have served our country in the military, “as he [Christ] has died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”
In addition to being an anthem for troops through many wars, this song was also a rallying call for women suffragettes.
The other hymn I want to lift up is “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Let There Be Peace on Earth was written by a married couple, Sy Miller and Jill Jackson-Miller.
The song was introduced at a workshop in 1955 - this workshop was comprised of 180 teenagers of all different religions and races - maybe not so strange for us in 2026 but remember, this was 1955. And in singing the song together, walls and barriers were broken down.
Sy Miller shared about this hymn’s impact: “One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment—‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me’—helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
…When they came down from the mountain, these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it.”
This song was born out of the deep love God has for us - that then calls us and transforms us to be agents of peace in this world. Disciples of the Prince of Peace.
As we sing both these hymns today, may we thank God for the freedom we have and those who gave their lives in service of this country - and may we also strive towards Peace in the name of the Prince of Peace.
Let us sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” UMH 717, vs 1 & 4, & “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” UMH 431
250 Years: To God be The Glory
Romans 16:25-27: “Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.”
All of the hymns we have sung today have come from the rich tradition of American hymnody. So, too, our last hymn of our Fourth of July hymn sing comes from Fanny Crosby, known as one of the greatest and most prolific American hymn writers.
We have only very briefly been able to look at the span of the history of our country and our identity as citizens of The United States, and, above all, first and foremost, as followers of Christ.
My prayer as we celebrate our Nation, this weekend, and any day the opportunity that is afforded to us, is that we would keep ourselves grounded in Christ and in prayer - in confession, in gratitude, and in earnest service to love all our neighbors, as our God calls us to do.
And for all that is good. For all that is holy. For all that is worthy of celebration. For this land that we inhabit - we lift up this final hymn in praise and gratitude:
Let us sing, “To God Be the Glory,” UMH 98
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.”
19th Century abolitionist and minister, Theodore Parker, once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
We can trace this moral arc through the history of our nation. Many of our country’s original rights and protections, including the right to vote, only applied to white men who owned land. From women to people of color, we have seen the expansion of rights and protections under the law these last 250 years. We celebrate every time the full humanity and voice of a beloved child of God is recognized.
We celebrate and thank God for all advocates who used their voices and lives to speak up for the rights, protection, and well-being of those on the margins. We thank God for all who stand up for justice and for the protection of the oppressed. We especially thank God for those who loose the bounds of injustice out of love for God - knowing that our God is a God who detests bondage and oppression and longs for all humans to be free. We thank our Exodus God for all who, like Moses, lead God’s people out of slavery and into abundance of life.
Slavery is the original sin of America, present at our founding, that we largely have still not wrestled with.
Enslaved people were often not allowed to have a Bible for themselves or were given a sanitized version of the Bible where stories of freedom and verses against slavery were removed. Many enslaved people rejected Christianity for the hateful religion of the master. Still many embraced the story of Moses, the story of Jesus, the story of a God who cared about injustice and who always acted to free the oppressed and to break any chains that kept people enslaved.
Enslaved workers in the in field would sing Spirituals like Wade in the Water to one another, hymns both about baptism and identity in Christ and coded messages of escape and the underground railroad.
Today we will sing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” - this is often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.” It recounts the journey of the moral arc towards justice - thanking God for God’s faithfulness through it all.
May we, as Christians and Americans, repent for when we have failed to continue to work of Jesus in letting the oppressed go free, we repent even more for the times we have been complicit in oppression - and we pray that Jesus would use us, here today, to continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world that loosen the bonds of injustice.
Let us sing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” UMH 519 - and as we sing it, out of respect for those who view this as a National Anthem of sorts, I invite you to stand in body or spirit as we sing.
Towards a Day of Peace
Isaiah 9:5: “For to us a child is born,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
His Name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God
My Father of Eternity,
Prince of Peace.”
Two things can be true at once.
Today and every day we can honor and thank those who serve in our military, who protected and protect our country, who have brought freedom to and defeated tyrants in our country and over the world - yes, we thank those who served and serve and thank God for those whose vocation has been in military service.
Would those who have served or are serving, please stand for a moment of recognition.
That can be true - while we also pray and look toward the day when peace reigns as we worship Jesus who is the Prince of Peace. Not the peace of the sword but a lasting peace that knows no ends.
Because both these things are true I want to lift up two American hymns.
First: The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
This hymn was originally written by an abolitionist for Union troops during the Civil War after the hymnist, Julia Ward Howe, visited a Union campsite. The hymn uses military language to recount God’s work in this world. The line from the fourth verse echoes what has been the work and fate of many who have served our country in the military, “as he [Christ] has died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”
In addition to being an anthem for troops through many wars, this song was also a rallying call for women suffragettes.
The other hymn I want to lift up is “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Let There Be Peace on Earth was written by a married couple, Sy Miller and Jill Jackson-Miller.
The song was introduced at a workshop in 1955 - this workshop was comprised of 180 teenagers of all different religions and races - maybe not so strange for us in 2026 but remember, this was 1955. And in singing the song together, walls and barriers were broken down.
Sy Miller shared about this hymn’s impact: “One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment—‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me’—helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
…When they came down from the mountain, these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it.”
This song was born out of the deep love God has for us - that then calls us and transforms us to be agents of peace in this world. Disciples of the Prince of Peace.
As we sing both these hymns today, may we thank God for the freedom we have and those who gave their lives in service of this country - and may we also strive towards Peace in the name of the Prince of Peace.
Let us sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” UMH 717, vs 1 & 4, & “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” UMH 431
250 Years: To God be The Glory
Romans 16:25-27: “Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.”
All of the hymns we have sung today have come from the rich tradition of American hymnody. So, too, our last hymn of our Fourth of July hymn sing comes from Fanny Crosby, known as one of the greatest and most prolific American hymn writers.
We have only very briefly been able to look at the span of the history of our country and our identity as citizens of The United States, and, above all, first and foremost, as followers of Christ.
My prayer as we celebrate our Nation, this weekend, and any day the opportunity that is afforded to us, is that we would keep ourselves grounded in Christ and in prayer - in confession, in gratitude, and in earnest service to love all our neighbors, as our God calls us to do.
And for all that is good. For all that is holy. For all that is worthy of celebration. For this land that we inhabit - we lift up this final hymn in praise and gratitude:
Let us sing, “To God Be the Glory,” UMH 98
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