One Nation Under God
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land!
Opening Prayer
We give thanks, O God, for this land and for the freedom for which so many of our citizens have given their lives. We pray that the people of this nation will never forget how blessed we have been, and how important it is to trust in you as we face the uncertain future. May our leaders and our citizens remember that we are "one nation under God." We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"O Beautiful For Spacious Skies"
On a summer day in 1893 Katharine Lee Bates, renowned author and professor of English at Wellesley College, stood on Pike's Peak in Colorado. On three sides of her -- north, west, and south -- stretched the majestic Rocky Mountains dressed in their purple haze. To the east was the fruitful Colorado plain, and just beyond were the amber-colored grain fields of Kansas and Nebraska. As she stood on the windy mountaintop, Miss Bates imagined she could see the settlers who had trekked across those grasslands decades earlier to find new homes and new opportunities in the West. She thought of the Pilgrims who had first come to America to find religious freedom, and she remembered gratefully those who had given their lives to preserve that freedom. She returned to her hotel, and the words of this beautiful hymn came to her mind. It is really a prayer that our citizens may be as beautiful as the landscape God has given us in this country.
Scripture Reading
Mark 12:13-17
Meditation
We celebrate with pride our national Day of Independence. America is unique among the nations of this world. Born long before Plymouth Rock and Jamestown, America began as a vision of freedom and equal opportunity for all people. That vision came directly out of the religious ferment created in the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the sixteenth century.
It is interesting to learn how America got its name. In 1507, Martin Waldseemuller, a German professor teaching in a French college, edited a map of the world. Reading up on the discovery of the New World, he said, "Much of this new land was explored by Amerigo Vespucci ... I do not see what hinders us from calling this new land 'America.' " So it was that a German professor in a French college named this land for an Italian navigator in the service of the King of Portugal! That's America -- a land born in a vision of freedom and equal opportunity for all.
But while we rejoice in our independence as a nation, perhaps it is time for America to celebrate a "Day of Dependence" on Almighty God. Jesus set forth a very important principle about our citizenship that we must never forget. He said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." We are very conscious of our obligations to Caesar. Every April 15th, when we pay our income tax, all of us must render to Caesar that which is Caesar's.
However, it is easy to forget that as followers of Jesus Christ our real citizenship is in heaven. We belong to God and are dependent on God in a way that we must never forget. Those who founded this nation knew that their vision of freedom and equal opportunity was based on a common faith in Almighty God. That's why in the Pledge of Allegiance we say those words, "one nation under God."
But as we enter a new century, many people believe America has forgotten to "render unto God the things that are God's." We enjoy the highest standard of living in the world -- but also the highest crime rate, the highest rate of divorce, and the highest rate of suicide in the world! The secret to our country's greatness lies not just in our independence, but in a common dependence on the Living God. Jesus said that to become a citizen of his Kingdom one had to become like a child. A child is dependent on others for everything. A child grows only when it is loved by someone the child can trust and depend upon.
So let us rejoice in the blessings we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. But let us also commit our hearts and lives into the hands of the God who not only gave us the breath of life but, in Jesus Christ, has given us life eternal.
Closing Prayer
God of grace and power, pour out your Spirit on this great land, that we may never forget our dependence upon you and our need for your grace and your help in all of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
May God bless you and keep you. May God's face shine on you and be gracious to you. May God look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land!
Opening Prayer
We give thanks, O God, for this land and for the freedom for which so many of our citizens have given their lives. We pray that the people of this nation will never forget how blessed we have been, and how important it is to trust in you as we face the uncertain future. May our leaders and our citizens remember that we are "one nation under God." We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"O Beautiful For Spacious Skies"
On a summer day in 1893 Katharine Lee Bates, renowned author and professor of English at Wellesley College, stood on Pike's Peak in Colorado. On three sides of her -- north, west, and south -- stretched the majestic Rocky Mountains dressed in their purple haze. To the east was the fruitful Colorado plain, and just beyond were the amber-colored grain fields of Kansas and Nebraska. As she stood on the windy mountaintop, Miss Bates imagined she could see the settlers who had trekked across those grasslands decades earlier to find new homes and new opportunities in the West. She thought of the Pilgrims who had first come to America to find religious freedom, and she remembered gratefully those who had given their lives to preserve that freedom. She returned to her hotel, and the words of this beautiful hymn came to her mind. It is really a prayer that our citizens may be as beautiful as the landscape God has given us in this country.
Scripture Reading
Mark 12:13-17
Meditation
We celebrate with pride our national Day of Independence. America is unique among the nations of this world. Born long before Plymouth Rock and Jamestown, America began as a vision of freedom and equal opportunity for all people. That vision came directly out of the religious ferment created in the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the sixteenth century.
It is interesting to learn how America got its name. In 1507, Martin Waldseemuller, a German professor teaching in a French college, edited a map of the world. Reading up on the discovery of the New World, he said, "Much of this new land was explored by Amerigo Vespucci ... I do not see what hinders us from calling this new land 'America.' " So it was that a German professor in a French college named this land for an Italian navigator in the service of the King of Portugal! That's America -- a land born in a vision of freedom and equal opportunity for all.
But while we rejoice in our independence as a nation, perhaps it is time for America to celebrate a "Day of Dependence" on Almighty God. Jesus set forth a very important principle about our citizenship that we must never forget. He said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." We are very conscious of our obligations to Caesar. Every April 15th, when we pay our income tax, all of us must render to Caesar that which is Caesar's.
However, it is easy to forget that as followers of Jesus Christ our real citizenship is in heaven. We belong to God and are dependent on God in a way that we must never forget. Those who founded this nation knew that their vision of freedom and equal opportunity was based on a common faith in Almighty God. That's why in the Pledge of Allegiance we say those words, "one nation under God."
But as we enter a new century, many people believe America has forgotten to "render unto God the things that are God's." We enjoy the highest standard of living in the world -- but also the highest crime rate, the highest rate of divorce, and the highest rate of suicide in the world! The secret to our country's greatness lies not just in our independence, but in a common dependence on the Living God. Jesus said that to become a citizen of his Kingdom one had to become like a child. A child is dependent on others for everything. A child grows only when it is loved by someone the child can trust and depend upon.
So let us rejoice in the blessings we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. But let us also commit our hearts and lives into the hands of the God who not only gave us the breath of life but, in Jesus Christ, has given us life eternal.
Closing Prayer
God of grace and power, pour out your Spirit on this great land, that we may never forget our dependence upon you and our need for your grace and your help in all of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
May God bless you and keep you. May God's face shine on you and be gracious to you. May God look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.
