| Independence Day is a day when we remember and
give thanks for both the political and religious freedom which God has
blessed us with in the United States of America. It is also a
time when we honor those who have given of themselves to serve and protect
those freedoms which we enjoy today. The ideas upon which this country were formed,
including the freedom of religion, continue to be enjoyed today. No one in the United States can be forced to
worship if they choose not to do so, and no one in the United States may be persecuted for their faith
or denied the right to pursue the religion and God of their choice.
The very fact that this continues to be true allows you to view this
message today.
Many of us are familiar with the first verse of The Star-Spangled
Banner, also known as the National Anthem of the United States of America,
as it is sung or played immediately prior to many major sporting events
across the nation. A somewhat lesser known fact is that there are
actually four verses to this song, three of which are rarely heard or
sung. Two of these verses (the first and fourth) will be sung as part
of our Independence Day Worship this year. The words to all four
verses are reproduced below.
The Star-Spangled Banner
Words - Francis Scott Key
Oh, say, can you see, by
the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And
where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That
the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A
home and a country should leave us no more?
Their
blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No
refuge could save the hireling and slave
From
the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And
the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er
the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus be it ever when free men shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
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This melody was first published in England circa 1780 as To Anacreon
in Heaven. The melody was probably written by British composer John
Stafford Smith. The words to that song were written by Ralph Tomlinson.
Both were members of the Anacreontic Club of London. To
Anacreon in Heaven was their theme song. The Anacreontic Club was a
group of wealthy men who met to celebrate music, food and drink.
The melody was particularly popular in America during the War of
1812 and several Americans wrote patriotic songs to it. The most famous of
these was Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer.
While aboard an English ship trying to secure the release of a
friend, Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry. When
the bombardment was over, the American flag was still flying. He wrote a
poem The Defense of Fort McHenry, which was first printed
anonymously on a broadside
in 1814. On September 20 it was published in The Baltimore Patriot.
Key's brother-in-law suggested he set the words to the tune To Anacreon
in Heaven. When the sheet music was published in 1815, the name was
changed to The Star Spangled Banner. The song was first adopted by
the army and navy as the national anthem. It was officially recognized as
the American National Anthem in 1931 by an act of Congress.
(Information and lyrics
obtained from the www.contemplator.com
website).
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God Bless
The United States of America!
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