Freedom-loving and grace-giving God, you have given us the privilege and the responsibility of living in the most resourceful land in the world. From sea to shining sea most of us enjoy unprecedented freedom, comfortable homes, regular meals, preferred vocations, and unique religious liberty.
As we give thanks for the numerous blessings associated with living in this great country, we are aware that we live in a season of heightened anxiety. Our military men and women are engaged in multiple international conflicts. Our economy is slow to emerge from the recent recession. Many are unemployed. We are facing an oil spill crisis in the Gulf. And we are lacking consensus on major issues.
These concerns remind us of our need to confess our sins, individually and collectively, and to follow your plan for living with purpose and integrity.
We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently neglected the responsibilities of our citizenship.
We confess that we are often too quick to criticize and too slow to intercede.
We confess that our selfish interests have too often taken priority over our interests in the common good of our nation and for our world.
We confess that we have been negligent in our stewardship of health and wealth, often expending and consuming carelessly when we should be managing carefully, investing wisely, and sharing generously.
We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.
We pray with the psalmist, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:1-3)
Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate this Independence Day, we ask you to, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
On this day, we pray for our President and for all of the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with moral courage, bipartisan cooperation, and astute wisdom.
We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military that they will perform their humanitarian mission with effectiveness and precision, complete their assignments, and return home safely and soon.
We pray for our enemies that their swords, and ours, will be “turned into plowshares.”
We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our nation and our community that we will be dispensaries of grace and mercy, living our convictions with consistency, engaging in our discourse with civility, and fulfilling our ministries with hospitality.
Because you are the freedom-loving and grace-giving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue “liberty and justice for all” your children around the globe, especially the “least of these.”
We present our prayer in the strong name of Jesus, the one who personifies the truth that makes us free indeed. Amen.
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