Yes, it’s the season of Pentecost on the Christian Church calendar, but it’s also a season when the spirit of freedom and democracy takes wing across our great country.
Is there any other time of year quite like the period from Memorial Day to D-Day to Flag Day to the Fourth of July? Parades and celebrations gather communities to remember and appreciate the sacrifices of millions who paid the ultimate price defending and securing the freedoms we too often forget! It’s a wonderful, patriotic five- to six-week period unlike any other in the whole year.
This year’s 80th anniversary of Operation Neptune, when the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, has focused the world’s attention on the largest military undertaking in history. I’ve never traveled there, but recent reports from every imaginable news outlet gift us with bird’s-eye views via old newsreels as well as day-to-day reports of commemorative stories. The overwhelming weight and importance of these events, which profoundly affect American life and fulfill the promised dreams that are ours, deserve a greater response than just picnics and potlucks on a few days off from work.
May I suggest taking up and making good use of the promised freedoms granted in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, especially the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech? If you know me, you know I’ve exercised these in my 50 years of ministry, and I’ve encouraged others to do the same.
Specifically, on Pleasant Lake near Hackensack, Minnesota, on the Fourth of July, everyone decorates their boats or pontoons, backs them away from the dock, and joins the 10 a.m. boat parade, slowly following one another along the shoreline. Across the lake, my voice is joined by others singing choruses of “God Bless America,” and people standing and waving flags on the shore join in the song, as other boaters do as well.
You might say I’m exercising my freedom of religion! It’s your freedom, too!
For your convenience, I’m providing the lyrics below:
“GOD BLESS AMERICA“
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, my home sweet home
Editor’s note: Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) contributor Pastor Rod Anderson also serves on the EPLN Board of Directors. He was the senior pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie.
Interested in contributing a faith-based column to EPLN? Email editor@eplocalnews.org.
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