Lord,
it's the night before the night before
the Fourth of July,
Independence Day,
our nation's birthday...
Before we don red, white and blue,
before we watch the fireworks,
before the grill is lit
and the potato salad spoils,
before the cooler's filled with ice and beer
- and quickly emptied -
before all this let's stop and let's remember
what we easily forget...
Help us keep in mind and heart, Lord, that:
Independence was declared with perfect unanimity:
discord and division there had been - but then let go -
for the sake of something greater,
the welfare of the whole...
The rights of all as equals numbered three:
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness
and such rights were understood to be
self-evident, unalienable,
endowed on each and all
by you, Lord, our Creator...
But now, Lord, in our pride:
we argue and debate the self-evident,
we deny and restrict the unalienable,
we trade liberty for license
we mistake pleasure for happiness,
we redefine the terms of our existence
and then miss the gift of life itself...
We've forgotten so much, Lord
and there's so much to recall and remember,
to repent and reform,
to restore and redirect...
Stir up in our minds and hearts, Lord,
in those who govern and make laws,
stir up those simple, self-evident truths
that long ago laid the foundation
for the beauty and the glory
of this nation we call home...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Tonight's music for "the night before the night before the Fourth" is a simple variation on a familiar patriotic song. Those who listen will experience how, at one point, the melody itself seems to know the pain of all we've forgotten - but then moves on to what can be ours again - if we would only remember...
Improvisation on America the Beautiful
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