The next patriotic hymn I’d like to share is America the Beautiful, lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates. Bates was born as one of four children of Congregational minister, William Bates, and his wife Cornelia Frances Lee (an educator). Katherine’s father died when she was a child, but her mother instilled in her the value of education.  She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, among the first institutions to provide education for women. It is there that she would receive her education, progress to teach English, and eventually rise to become the head of the English Department.

Katherine Lee Bates is best known for her poem, America the Beautiful which was first published in an issue of The Congregationalist in 1895. Among her many poems about her travels and teaching at different locations, America the Beautiful recounts her visit to Colorado’s Pike’s Peak and the breathtaking view of majestic beauty she wanted to capture in words.

Over the next decade or two, she worked to perfect the poem and it was set to a few different melodies. In 1926, a contest was held to create new music for the poem, but the hymn Materna by Samuel A. Ward had already secured the mantle of official tune which is still used today.

For a short period of time after Bates’ death, an effort was made to have this hymn as the national anthem of the United States, but the Star-Spangled Banner prevailed.

Yet, this hymn has the heart of the American people, recognizing God’s creative hand of blessing. 

It stands apart as a tribute to what is beautiful in America–both the natural and the spiritual: the skies, the prairies, the mountains, the goodness, the brotherhood, the shining seas, the pilgrims, the freedom, the wilderness, the submission to God for mending our national flaws, the soul of a nation under self-control with fullness of liberty, the heroes, the sacrifice, the nobleness, the trust in God, the patriot dream of a place that is beyond this world to which America–as its free and best Constitutional self–truly points.  Or at least, it did…

Enjoy this version by The Hillsdale College Choir while reading through Bates’ poem (original in this link, as it is typically recorded in our hymnals, below).  This video brought me to tears, why exactly I can’t explain, only that it captured somehow my love for this country, my gratitude to God for it, and my desire to honor my God by appreciating all the beauty He sees and He gives from the farthest reaches of nature to the inner space of the Christian soul.

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern impassion’d stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness, And ev’ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam,  Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

While preparing for the next installment of patriotic hymns, I came across the social obligations of a Christian.  Oh, I consulted a variety of hymnals, most of which I’ve picked up at second-hand stores.  No one seems to want them anymore but me and a thrift store is about the only place one can find a historic type of hymnal locally.

In America, many people used to own a hymnal.  But that was a time long ago, it seems. 

One of the hymnals I have came courtesy of the Rosenberg family if I enjoy the inscription correctly.  It’s called Hymns for the Family of God by Paragon Associates Inc. (Nashville, TN) dating back to 1976.  The Gaithers were on the editorial board.  Stuff like this intrigues me.

Anyway, hymn #691 isn’t a hymn at all.  It’s a short patriotic note by the Reverend Billy Graham.  The Social Obligations of a Christian looks like this (right) and I transcribed it into a design of my own (below).

In a day when many Christians are conflicted about how to engage with our culture, particularly in an election year, to me it was a gentle and welcome reminder that my obligations to God don’t end as I leave the narthex and exit the church building to the world outside.  Our obligations are to each other, too.

We are to be in the world, but not of it.

Someone on social media recently attacked my character and passed judgment upon (1) my skin color and that of my friends, (2) my desire to point to the full Gospel and the full truth instead of to superficial things like feelings and cafeteria truth where you can take only what you want, (3) my inability to be omnipresent and omnipotent, doing all things for all people, and wait for it …(4) my patriotism since I had posted photos of flags for the 4th of July and Memorial Day.  (Good grief, some people.  Quick to judge and apparently, slow to view the level foot of the Cross.)

I decided to respond, not to the individual, but here…by rolling out patriotic hymns from our historic Christian hymnals.

Many of our hymnals contain what are called patriotic hymns, and in the United States, these hymns express gratitude to God for freedom, for the sacrifice others have done laying their lives down for their country, and for the beauty of this land we call America.  All of these things–liberty, personal sacrifice, and appreciation of this amazing creation–are biblical ideas and honor God to whom they ultimately point.

America used to be better at pointing to God and to the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  These days, it seems a generation’s lens only records the worst and produces selfies.

For many decades our churches had hymnals in our pews, but there has been a change.  Pews of the common man as a faith community are gradually being removed in favor of individual chairs with no written record of praise to hold in our hands while we sing, with one voice, our gratitude and praise to God.  I’m not sure that’s such a good thing.  Rubbing shoulders with our fellow man gives us connection as the Body of Christ.  Sadly, the audible word is soon forgotten–in one ear and out the other–but the written word has an enduring legacy, a lasting quality, and a depth of meaning that says it was worth putting into print.

My Country ‘Tis of Thee was first titled America by its author and Baptist minister Samuel Francis Smith.  It is known both for its words and its tune which is the same as God Save the Queen (the British National Anthem).  Yet, even with that poke at the original Brexit (the colonies declaring ourselves to be the independent United States of America), the Gospel shines clearly in the lyrics even if the name of Jesus isn’t mentioned.

To a Baptist minister who wrote it and to the Bible-believing and Word-studying Christian who sings it generations later, we cannot help but remember

• that God delivers out of the slavery and oppression of this world and delivers us into glorious liberty that was perfected in Him.  (John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.)
• the stones will have their silence break if we fail to praise Him.  He is that worthy.   (Luke 19:36 As Jesus went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes.)
• that freedom is a holy thing to be honored because the One who purchased it for us by His blood is holy and deserves our allegiance  (1 Peter 1:15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”)
• and our protection in America is only by His might since He is our Great God and King, the only God no matter what this melting pot of syncretism might argue. (Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.)

Enjoy this version of America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) in a mix with He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands performed by the lovely and talented Yolanda Adams  –a good reminder that the United States is but one country that God loves.  Patriotism for America doesn’t mean God loves the rest of the world less.

My country ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim’s pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

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 fills
Like that above.

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.

Our father’s 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!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at our world in chaos.

• At our world of politics in America,
• of terror on a global scale,
• of a growing racial divide,
• of increasing violence,
• of dire illnesses
• of weather extremes
• of the disappearance of the rule of law,
• of the chaos ensuing and enveloping every institution
• in which the Truth of God has been subordinated beneath legalese
• and in which God’s righteous command and rightful authority are being smothered beneath manmade convenience, mob rule, and arrogant control.

It’s easy to find yourself asking,

What in the name of Sam Hill is going on?

God has an answer to this chaos and many Americans won’t like it a bit.  God’s answer is Himself.

Just as it was in the beginning when God’s answer to the formless chaos of the waters was His Spirit hovering over it…and His Word declaring order into it…. “Let there be light!”…a time is coming when He will return into this world and the present chaos being sown by mankind.  We will…(yes, all of us: black, white, every race and ethnicity, male and female, all religions and mutations of unbelief)…we will all be answerable…finally… to Justice that we will not truly know this side of heaven.  A justice some claim to want now that they have no idea what they’re asking.  It’s not a slogan or some sign to carry around.  It’s nothing that superficial.

For some, being answerable will be a sigh of relief, a final rest, and an eternal Hallelujah.

For others,  it will be both a terrible and … a terrifying … Day of Judgment upon the evil they are and the evil they do.  

That’s what the Bible teaches.  The One and True Judge will enter into our world one more time…Who came first as the Word, then as the Son of God, Son of Man, and our One True Savior, again as His Holy Spirit.  Yes, He will enter a final time as another move of His Ultimate Authority.  The last days are upon us and have been since the time of Christ.  His return is closer now than yesterday.  The fig tree is in full leaf (Matthew 24) and all we have to do is look for His coming.

2 Peter 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

I know plenty of people who have bought lock, stock, and barrel into the error of lawless men and women.   I see them on the news and read about them in the papers.  They’re quick to share opinions and slow to see what God says about it all.  I don’t want to be one of them.  I don’t want you to be either.

God’s Answer to Chaos is Himself.  And He will not be mocked.

Reflecting on what is good instead of what is so awful.  Imagine a world along with me…

While I’ve been doing my charity garden walk preparation all the way to its conclusion, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting about how the end can be a comfort…knowing it is finished and there’s nothing more one can do.  Oh, I reflect on lots of things, especially sermons I’ve heard recently.  It’s part of the curse of seminary in that you can’t just passively listen anymore, you think about everything that’s said.  You think about it while it’s being said, but also days, weeks, even months later.

One of the things that I’ve been pondering is the great benefit of knowing how it all turns out in the end.  Jesus’ victory is a comfort to those of us who know Him as Lord.

The pastor I was listening to gave an example of a championship game which he couldn’t watch while it was happening so he recorded it to watch later.  He said he usually tries to avoid having a spoiler of the final score and to watch the game as if it is happening now.  But sometimes, he ends up knowing the score before he watches it.  Knowing the final score helps to relieve the white knuckle time of 3-2 counts, one’s team being down by runs in the top of the 9th or 6 points in the final minutes of the 2nd half.  Knowing that your team wins lets you simply enjoy the ride and marvel how your team gets there.

With the Christian life, it ought to be the same way. 

We ought to be able to enjoy the ride and trust God to see us through because we know the end.  It’s a comfort since we have confidence that God wins.

I was continuing to think about this idea in light of a brief trip my husband and I took to fish in Canada.  I went from fishing for men to fishing for fish.  Or as my son joked, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.  Let a man fish for men and his work results will be eternal.”

The Northern pike I caught didn’t know when it took the minnow that it would be hooked, that it would fight it with everything it had but fail, that I would enjoy hauling it into the boat, that our guide would teach this woman how to hold it for a photo, but that it would be released back into the water to live another day.  At the time of being hooked, it probably thought its world was coming to an end.

So, when every system in the US seems to be falling apart and good Christians are fighting the corruption with everything we’ve got; when ISIS seems to be scattershot all over the world bringing terror to every nation of planet Earth; when we hear of earthquakes and floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, mudslides and forest fires; when wars and despots are on the increase and in their wake, they leave behind only the dead, the persecuted, and the refugee, and when we see the life of this Earth pass before our eyes, we look to Jesus.  Knowing that He’s already victorious and the end of time ushers an eternity worth living for is a comfort.  He told us ahead of time (Matthew 24).

He told us not to worry and He gave us a vision of the end of the story.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Knowing the End is a Comfort to all whom Jesus knows as His followers!

I’ve been absent from writing posts for a while.  It’s not that my heart hasn’t wanted to write more, but rather my season of service has been elsewhere.  I’ve been dealing with the sewer systems in my hometown and caring for my neighbors.  Christian service is not like a horse race in which there is win, place, and show.  We all win when we cross the finish line having given our all to the race God has set before us.

It made me think about our walk of faith.  And seasons of service.  Moses didn’t always lead the Israelites.  For a while, it was sheep.  For a while, he was leading no one at all…he was trying to do it alone and was pretty bad at it.  And in his final days on earth, he only got to see the Promised Land.  He couldn’t enter it.

Why?  Because of the waters at Meribah, where Moses and Aaron broke faith with God.

Deuteronomy 32:44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you– they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” 48 On that same day the LORD told Moses, 49 “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Not just idle words…they are your life!  Wow.  Seasons of service are all about obedience and faith.  They are about honoring God, obeying Him, and by doing so, upholding His holiness and experiencing true life.

So while I would have preferred to write posts and think deep theological thoughts instead of about aquifers and hydrological cycles, I’d like to be able to enter the Land having kept the faith.  To say at the end of each season of service, what Paul said at the end of his life,

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Psalm 4:1 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David. Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. 2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah 3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. 4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. 6 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. 7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 3:1 A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah