Blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12)
Excerpts Bidding Prayer (from the 1928 Book of Common
Prayer):
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OOD Christian People, I bid your
prayers for Christ’s holy Catholic Church, the blessed company of all faithful
people; that it may please God to confirm and strengthen it in purity of faith,
in holiness of life, and in perfectness of love, and to restore to it the
witness of visible unity; and more especially for that branch of the same
planted by God in this land, whereof we are members; that in all things it may
work according to God’s will, serve him faithfully, and worship him acceptably.
………
Ye shall pray for the President
of these United States, and for the Governor of this State, and for all that
are in authority; that all, and every one of them, may serve truly in
their several callings to the glory of God, and the edifying and well-governing
of the people, remembering the account they shall be called upon to give at the
last great day. (I have underlined an applicable portion of the Bidding
for those, who as devout Christians, cannot pray for the success of evil in
leadership, but that such will be compelled, if necessary, by God to rule in
accordance with His divine purpose and not the design and purposes of those who
call good, evil; and evil, good.)………
Ye shall pray for all the
people of these United States, that they may live in the true faith and fear of
God, and in brotherly charity one towards another.
Ye shall pray also for all
who travel by land, sea, or air; for all prisoners and captives; for all who
are in sickness or in sorrow; for all who have fallen into grievous sin; for
all who, through temptation, ignorance, helplessness, grief, trouble, dread, or
the near approach of death, especially need our prayers.
Ye shall also praise God for rain
and sunshine; for the fruits of the earth; for the products of all honest
industry; and for all his good gifts, temporal and spiritual, to us and to all
men.
Finally, ye shall yield unto God
most high praise and hearty thanks for the wonderful grace and virtue declared
in all his saints, who have been the choice vessels of his grace and the lights
of the world in their several generations; and pray unto God, that we may have
grace to direct our lives after their good examples; that, this life ended, we
may be made partakers with them of the glorious resurrection, and the life
everlasting.
And now, brethren, summing up all
our petitions, and all our thanksgivings, in the words which Christ hath taught
us, we make bold to say, (Here
in the Prayer Book follows the Lord’s Prayer which is a communal prayer to be
said communally or in private). Our prayers rising up to God in worship were
symbolized by the incense that rose from the altar in the Temple. All that we
do in worship has its anchor in God and His Word.
It is noteworthy that the United
States Government itself is fashioned on the model similar in concept to that
ecclesiastical authority and power structure presented in the Thirty Nine
Articles and Ordinal (A Presider and two houses of Congress; and the Law as
interpreted by the Judiciary which would compare favorably with the Word of God
though imperfectly manifested). Even the majestic language of the Book of
Common Prayer, and its paternal progenitor of the Received Text Bibles (King
James, Geneva, Matthews, Great Bible, Tyndale’s, and Bishop’s Bible among
others), are expressed so eloquently in our Founding documents of government.
The words of prayer, especially, of the Prayer Book are adapted for use in our
governmental formularies with excellent articulation. The framers labored to
give us a Republic with safeguards incorporated to prevent our degenerating
into a democracy. The Constitutional Republic guarantees an application
of the laws of the nation impartially to every citizen. Unfortunately, we have
allowed those guarantees to fade and, as a result, we have found ourselves
harnessed with a full-blown and corrupt democracy in which the loudest special
interest group gets all the benefits. If we will remember that it is we who are
Caesar in our form of government, we will restore religious freedom and elevate
God to His rightful place as true Sovereign of the Nation.
As I write this devotion on our grand
Independence Day, I hear the lofty strains of Stars and Stripes Forever
being wafted on high from my stereo. The notes are crisp and clear and seem to
rise up to heaven itself. Would it not be a blessing if our government returned
to governance by means of the clear and crispy notes of the Declaration of
Independence and the US Constitution with its unsurpassed protections of the
Bill of Rights. Have we, as a people, had our eyes dimmed to history? Do we
remember at what grievous cost our freedoms were purchased and maintained by
the valiant blood spilled on battlefields from Bunker Hill to Inchon? Do we
know from our religious heritage that governments and men, are nothing worth
apart from the reliance on God Almighty for their Sustenance and Protection?
Can the thunder once more be called down from heaven to awaken our people whose
memories of past glories have faded and tarnished? The answer to all our
national pains and disparagements rest in our prayerful appeal to heaven as our
Forefathers so faithfully demonstrated. Ours is a rich heritage of Godly
faith that has instilled courage and perseverance. I pray that these may be
written large again on our national conscience, and that God will not turn His
face in shame from His beloved land that He has so blessed by His Hand of
Grace. You will recall that our National Emblem is the Eagle. This bird is the
Sovereign of his heaven, flying high in search of prey, and with great vision
that penetrates the haze of the morning dews and damps. The oyster, on the
other hand, labors not for its provision. It simply lies at the bottom of the
sea, opens its shell, and consumes whatever is cast away as refuse by higher
forms of life. Have we become a nation of oysters, or do we remain a people
deserving of the Eagle for our National Emblem?
Though I have shared it before,
below is a poem that I wrote commemorating our past glories and honoring those
men and women who so valiantly gave their blood that we might perpetuate our
own:
WWW
Requiem to the American Soldier
Mine eyes have
searched the battlefields, two hundred years ago,
And fixed upon
my Fathers...with crosses row-on-row.
Their blood has
nourished Courage and Ardent Virtue bought.
They stood in
battle bravely - and fought the wars they fought.
The mist of
years have softened, but the battle’s heat I feel:
Their lines sway
like a banner as they charge up San Juan Hill.
In timeless
sleep they stagger, beneath a khaki sky,
But stand forth
ever ready, to fight, to win, or die.
On Chickamauga’s
creek beds, and Santiago’s slopes
They fought as
ones be-knighted, defending cherished hopes.
From the
Ardennes’ bloody contest, to the walls of old Bastogne
American blood
and courage Have gained the Heights alone.
The shots at
Concord township, join those of Gettysburg,
And those fired
at Fort Sumter, around the world were heard.
The beaches red
at Normandy, and those of Inchon’s shores
Were bought and
paid by courage, yet still the battle roars.
The Marines on
Iwo Jima, and Troops at Kasserine Pass,
Gave force to
Freedom’s mandate, that right prevail at last.
The Airmen over
Bremen, and Naval Guns at Guam,
Brought thunder
out of Heaven, ere Peace could bring the Calm.
On Mekong Delta’s
paddies, and Khe Son’s rugged slopes
The Grand Old
Flag was lifted, with clear and crispy notes.
America’s youth
and valor, were tested, tried and torn
But pressed on
proud and bravely, despite the Traitor’s scorn.
To you, you
Knights of Valor, Press on the torch of Right.
Reclaim the
trailing Ensign, Restore the Shining Light.
The Light of
Freedom’s promise, The hope of present years,
Are now the
struggle’s object, Though won through Sweat and Tears.
A City, Bright
and Gleaming, stands grandly on the Rise.
The blood-bought
fruits of Freedom beneath the Azure Skies,
Are all our
Fathers fought for, and freely bled and paid
So you and I
could know them, before the glory fades.
With God our
hope established in pastures Green with Love
And all our
National Treasures, a gift from Him above,
We have no right
to wander from Truth or Light or Trust,
But to the
Throne of Mercy, our March is Good and Just.
~Jerry Ogles, Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church
