A Prayer for Friday, July 4, 2014

Independence Day

O God,

Please bless America.

Thank you for the principles that have made America great; bless us with an ongoing and always growing commitment to those principles that we might become even greater, that we might become better at being the best people we can be.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to freedom; help us to be committed as much to the freedom of others as we are to our own freedom.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to responsibility; help us to have the individual responsibility to do what we can for ourselves and the corporate responsibility to do what we can for those who need help.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to justice; help us to do everything in our power to insist upon equal treatment under the law for everyone and to have a special concern for those whose social and economic status makes them especially vulnerable to injustice.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to equality; help us to have a bold vision of what it means for all people to be created equal and not to give in to the all-too prevalent attitude that some people are just naturally more equal than others.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to hospitality; help us to celebrate our immigrant heritage and to create and to apply policies that will guide us in welcoming and embracing the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses who come to us yearning to breathe free.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to diversity; help us to embrace and to celebrate both our particular heritage that contributes to our individual and family identity and the common heritage that binds us all together as Americans.

Bless us with an ongoing and growing commitment to cooperation; help us to work together to try to build an even greater nation that will offer a model to the world of a people that will go to any lengths, will expend any effort, and will make any sacrifice to insure that our government of the people, by the people, and for the people will accept and carry out the responsibility of maintaining an environment in which we all have the great opportunities and obligations brought to us by life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

O God, please bless America!

Amen.