Independence Day is a Holy Day in the Episcopal Church’s
liturgical calendar. Oddly enough, even though many of the Founders were themselves
Anglicans, this day was not included in the Episcopal calendar
until the 1928 BCP. The reasons are complex, but the upshot is that since so
many Anglicans at the time did not desire separation from England, and because
this matter was not judged to be of the essence of the Faith, it was not placed
on our calendar until its celebration had lost the sense of “winner-takes-all”
that it had in the first decades (century?) after our independence. This, in
itself, a fine example of Anglican restraint and should be studied by many in
our country (and even in the contemporary Episcopal Church’s leadership) today.
The collect and lessons from Scripture appointed for this
day form a careful commentary on the issues of faith, the State, commonwealth,
and that necessary and Godly balance which alone expresses the ideal found in
the Declaration of Independence and (in less explicit terms) the Constitution.
While many today prefer to think of American secularism as a form of Frence laïcité, a careful read of our history
shows this not to be case. Instead, the various Christian traditions in the
U.S.A. have almost always thought of this nation as a spiritual state of being,
with a unique character and mission. Only in this era, with so many in our
population no longer identifying as Christian (or practicing any communal form
of Christianity) has the nation found itself so unsure about its spiritual
destiny and purpose (or so devoid of the tools for its effective healing).
This is not to say that past notions of Manifest Destiny or
Exceptionalism were either right or in proper accord with Holy Writ or catholic
teaching. Indeed, it is clear that much of what was once seen as permissible
Civil Christianity gave rise to terrible forms of oppression, injustice, and
cruelty. But, the current tendency to try and force underground all spiritual consideration
of this nation and its populace is both un-historical and profoundly misguided.
The Establishment Clause of the Constitution does not exclude religious
discussion, comment, or influence in the French sense from our Civic life; neither does it not allow us to establish one permitted or endorsed form of practice or
belief. One could argue that spiritual consideration of the State is in fact essential for the kind of reform and renewal found in the Civil Rights movement, for example. Without such a source and vision, the nation is much more likely to slip into utter selfishness and venality.
Independence Day, for Episcopalians, is an important
commemoration of the significance of the American experiment in governance and
faith…and a reminder of the centrality of the condition of the human soul to that experiment’s continuance. This is a day of real spiritual reflection, work, and repentance (always the hallmark of serious Christian endeavor) as well as celebration and rededication.
A fine expression of this understanding of July 4th
is found in the lesson from Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach) at Morning Prayer today:
A wise magistrate educates his
people, and the rule of an intelligent person is well ordered. As the people's
judge is, so are his officials; as the ruler of the city is, so are all its
inhabitants. An undisciplined king ruins his people, but a city becomes fit to
live in through the understanding of its rulers. The government of the earth is
in the hand of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right leader for the
time. Human success is in the hand of the Lord, and it is he who confers honor
upon the lawgiver. Do not get angry with your neighbor for every injury, and do
not resort to acts of insolence. Arrogance is hateful to the Lord and to
mortals, and injustice is outrageous to both. Sovereignty passes from nation to
nation on account of injustice and insolence and wealth. The beginning of human
pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker. For the beginning
of pride is sin, and the one who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore
the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities, and destroys them completely.
The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers, and enthrones the lowly in their
place. The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations, and plants the humble in
their place. The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations, and destroys them to
the foundations of the earth. He removes some of them and destroys them, and
erases the memory of them from the earth. Pride was not created for human
beings, or violent anger for those born of women.
Ecclesiasticus 10:1-8,10:12-18 (NRSV)
What an extraordinary indictment of our current era’s
attitude toward money, greed, power, pride, and shortsighted partisanship!
The lesson recalls the long-established historical lesson
that a foolish people produces a foolish governance, with a fixed time limit to
that governance’s endurance. What follows is a time of violence resulting in
overthrow and a new order (though not necessarily a better one). It is a solemn
warning, indeed.
It is always easier to blame the “leaders” of a nation for
its ills—and sometimes rightly so. But in our country, the “leaders” (more
often than not) simply reflect what the people (i.e. voters) want or idealize.
Over time a kind of feedback loop develops between electorate and the
elected…resulting in a pit-trap of folly that only a spiritual renewal of the
people can truly change (leaders don’t generally lead people in directions they
aren’t already seeking on some level).
Independence Day is not a day to celebrate the triumphal
success of a perfect governmental system, nor the first form of
“Brexit,” nor the glories of jingoistic American Imperialism. Rather (from our
point of view), it is a Holy Day on which to give thanks for peculiar gift and
possibilities of this nation, and to realize once more—and with great
humility—its unfinished character and our role to be of service to the Gospel
in the context of this nation’s journey.
For the Christian, there is ultimately only one true
loyalty: to God the Holy Trinity. That loyalty finds itself often in the
service of others as we share the Good News of God in Christ through various
vocations and communities. But, that loyalty to the revealed will of God also
forces us to take seriously where we have erred in ways that undermine the
commonality, cheapened the discourse, and make a mockery of the sacrifice of
others. The exercise of this freedom—the freedom to take stock of ourselves in
light of the standards set forth for us in the Holy Scriptures—is perhaps one
of the most underutilized freedoms we possess. This day is a good day to enjoy
and practice it, before the barbeques and fireworks turn our passions and gaze
from the spiritual meaning of this Feast.
The Collect for
Independence Day:
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this
country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for
nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have
grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
A Litany for our Nation
For use on or near Independence Day

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we
may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the
earth.
Lord, keep this nation
under your care.
To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors of
States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative authority, grant wisdom
and grace in the exercise of their duties.
Give grace to your
servants, O Lord.
To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our laws
in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and foresight to provide
for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the
community of nations.
Give grace to your
servants, O Lord.
To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding
and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and justice served.
Give grace to your
servants, O Lord.
Teach our people to rely on your strength and to accept
their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect
trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the well-being of our society;
that we may serve you faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.
Give grace to your
servants, O Lord.
We thank you, Lord, for the natural majesty and beauty of
this land. They restore us, though we often destroy them.
Heal us.
We thank you for the great resources of this nation. They
make us rich, though we often exploit them.
Forgive us.
We thank you for the men and women who have made this
country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.
Inspire us.
We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in
this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden
from its light.
Enlighten us.
We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich
variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.
Renew us.
Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun.
Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish
poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in
one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name. Amen.
A Prayer for our Nation:
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage:
We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of
thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry,
sound learning, and pure manners. Save
us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from
every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the
multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the
spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of
government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through
obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the
earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the
day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(From the Book of Common Prayer, 1979)
