July 3, 2016 (Sunday)
On this Sunday morning of the Fourth of July Weekend, I think it is appropriate for us to recall in a special way the hymn, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” I believe strongly in separation of church and state, but I do not believe in separation of faith from the hearts and minds of us citizens. On this Independence Day weekend, we should remind ourselves that the founders of this nation faced hopeless odds and logically should have suffered defeat at the hands of the powerful British Empire. One can clearly see the hand of God in the birth and growth of our nation. This hymn reflects that understanding.
1
My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!
2
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.
3
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
4
Our fathers’ God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
LISTEN (Gaither)
Wikipedia presents 13 verses of this hymn. Click here to go to the site.