Lord God Almighty, who has made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
– A Prayer for the Nation
No institution composed of human beings is perfect. No church, no government, no nation. For 250 years, the people in the United States of America have been striving and struggling to become a nation that lives up to the ideals declared in the Declaration of Independence: a country that offers life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for each and every person within its borders.
June has included Juneteenth and LGBTQIA+ Pride month events and mark both the progress made and the continued struggle for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for Black people and people who are LGBTQIA+ .
As we approach the official 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 4, may we prayerfully and humbly consider what we can do – as individuals and as a community of faith – to make the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness closer to reality for each and every person.
Let us also remember that we are called first and foremost to follow our Baptismal Covenant as children of God. With God’s help, we are called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being. (BCP, p. 304-305). Striving to fulfill the Baptismal Covenant will, I believe, help us make life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness closer to reality for more people in the U.S.A.