Perhaps you expected a recap of General Convention. Fear not! That will come soon enough - but today is Independence Day, and that means we must consider other things.
The Episcopal Church has always to some extent been a class-bound institution. With the Great Awakenings and their successive outpourings of “enthusiasm,” the American religious landscape broadened, and the Episcopal Church found its niche - to a large extent, the Old Families, and those who wished to be seen as such. Indeed, Massey Shepherd writes, “The liturgical observance of Independence Day in the American Church takes the place of the anniversary service of the accession of the English sovereign,1” noting that a July 4 service of thanksgiving for “the inestimable Blessings of Religious and Civil Liberty,” drawn up for the Proposed BCP of 1786, received such vehement protest that it was withdrawn at the first General Convention, and only reintroduced in 1928.2
In recent years, particularly since our disastrous adventures in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan - coupled with increased critical examination of our own history - there has been increased reëvaluation of this observance. Without lending too much credence for or against contemporary arguments (which tend to largely follow contemporary trends in social academia, and not broader social trends) we here consider some of the prayers made available to us in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the 1991 Anglican Service Book, and other resources, calling upon the commentaries of Massey Shepherd (1928) and Marion Hatchett (1979) for explanation.
The Collects
Compiled in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, BCP79 endeavored to honor larger societal shifts while still remaining [ostensibly] faithful to the traditions which it had received. We therefore have two options for a liturgical observance of Independence Day, in hieratic (shown) and vulgar register.
Collect for Independence Day (pp. 190, 242)
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this
country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the
torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech
thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace
to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This collect was initially written by +Parsons, III bishop of California, for BCP28, where the invocation and acknowledgement read “O Eternal God, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old…” and the doxology omitted the qui tecum vivit. Hatchett notes that this was revised for BCP79 because “many Americans now cannot identify with the heroes of the… American Revolution as their ancestors. Furthermore, native Americans, many of whom are Episcopalians, never could pray this prayer. The new preamble emphasizes that the founders of our country won liberties for generations yet to come as well as for themselves, and that they “lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn.”3
Collect for the Nation (No. 17, pp. 207, 258)
Lord God Almighty, who hast made all the peoples of the earth
for thy glory, to serve thee 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 thy gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
This is given as an alternative for use on Independence Day. Hatchett indicates that it is a revised form of a prayer by Henry Scott Holland included in Parish Prayers as no. 1114.4 He is correct, but frustratingly silent in identifying the reviser, for in Parish Prayers it appears as follows: O Lord God Almighty, who hast made for thy glory all nations over the face of the earth, that they may do thee service in the joy of freedom; give to this people of England the passion of righteousness, and the strength of self-control, that they may exercise their liberty with a serious and single desire to fulfill thy gracious will; through Jesus Christ, our Master, Redeemer, and King. Amen. 5
Evaluation
Sometime Vice President of the House of Deputies Byron Rushing encouraged the Episcopal Church to employ the latter option, an encouragement repeated by his successors. He noted that “many Americans may not consider the words ‘the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us’ to be accurate. Look around your congregations, and reflect if all the ancestors of the ‘us’ got our liberty then… either slavery was forgotten, or the ‘us’ was not meant to include us…,” while [rightly] indicating that no provision is made for national days in any of the 11 ‘overseas’ dioceses.
Personally, as someone whose freedom to marry was only secured with Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, whose right to fair employment was only secured with Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020 (thanks to a majority decision written by, of all people, Neil Gorsuch!), and who can still be put to death within a member country of the Anglican Communion (Uganda) while I respect Sen. Rushing’s view on the matter, I disagree with his assessment. The Founding Fathers, many of whom were communicants in our churches, began a project whose end they could not foresee; it has been the responsibility of respective generations to extend the Founders’ vision beyond their own time-bound, class-bound, and race-bound understanding - or, not to, which might explain why the United States still locked in the political aftermath of 9/11.
Does the Independence Day collect need to be fine-tuned? Certainly. It neglects the experience of those who came to the United States later, or against their will, or have suffered willful missteps on the part of our government. (We only just granted Navajoland the ability to elect their own bishops, and the ability to avail themselves of the diocesan clergy health plan instead of making Navajoland clergy deal with the Indian Health Service, so let’s not go patting ourselves on the back here either.) There is no good option for the people of Haiti, Cuba, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, or Taiwan; the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe is in an awkward spot as well, and Anglicanism was established in Hawai’i under the monarchy we later overthrew. If anything, there is a need for more (and more diverse) observances for national days!
Sen. Rushing rightly commends to our attention the Collect for Canada Day in the Book of Alternative Services (1985). This is a new composition, of uncertain origin; a completely different resource appears for “Dominion Day” in CBCP62.
Almighty God, whose wisdom and whose love are over all, accept the prayers we offer for our nation. Give integrity to its citizens and wisdom to those in authority, that harmony and justice may be secured in obedience to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Looking further abroad, to the ELCA, I suddenly remember why I didn’t recall any of the “National Holiday” collects from the church of my youth. Of course, this was written sometime in the middle of the last century:
Lord of [the nations (LBW)/all the worlds (ELW)], guide our people by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom. Give [us what outward prosperity may be your will (LBW)/to all our people the blessings of well-being and harmony (ELW)], but above all things give us faith in you, that our nation may bring glory to your name and blessings to all peoples, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Anglican Service Book (1991)
Originally conceived of as an all-Rite 1 1979 BCP, this project suffered a significant quantity of ‘scope creep’ prior to its publication. The ‘79 Collects For Independence Day and For The Nation are both provided; however, a typographical error directs someone seeking the Collect For the Nation to the Thanksgivings for the Nation at the end of the book! However, this fortuitous accident exposed me to an interesting treatment of Thanksgiving 5, For the Nation (portions from BCP79 which are omitted in the ASB are set [thus]; interpolations omitted from BCP79 are set {thus}).
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank thee for the majesty and beauty of this good land {which thou hast given us.} [They restore us, though we often destroy them.]
Help us, [we pray thee, O Lord.]
We thank thee for the great resources of this nation, {though we have not always been faithful stewards in accordance with thy will.} [They make us rich, though we often exploit them.]
Forgive us, [we pray thee, O Lord.]
We thank thee for the men and women who have made this country strong [and serve as models for us, though we have fallen short of thy calling.] {They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.}
Inspire us, [we pray thee, O Lord.]
We thank thee for the torch of liberty which has been [raised up]{lit} in this land, [though we have often forgotten that thou art the source of all True Light.] {It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light.}
Enlighten us, [we pray thee, O Lord.]
We thank thee for the faith which [sustains our lives, though we have turned from thee again and again.] {we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.}
Renew us, [we pray thee, O Lord.]
We pray thee, O Lord, to finish the good work thou hast begun in us. Strengthen us to bring an end to ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten thy Day in which all thy people {with many voices in one united chorus} shall join together to glorify thy holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Each ‘half’ of these petitions says something slightly different, yet both halves point to a greater whole. A future revision might try to embrace the strongest aspects of both.
Other Prayers and Thanksgivings in the BCP
In the 1979 BCP, the Prayers for National Life (and, to some extent, those for the Social Order) are found beginning on p. 820 with Prayer 18, For Our Country:
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Shepherd tells us that this was originally composed as a proposed service for Thanksgiving Day in the Book Annexed of 1883.6 Indeed, it was, where the invocation appears as follows:
Almighty God, who in the former time leddest our fathers forth into a wealthy place, and didst set their feet in a large room; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to us their children, that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will…7
Having been set aside until 1928, it has benefited much from careful, surgical tweaks. Of course, this is a bit too wordy for a collect, and aspects of it (“who hast given us this good land for our heritage”) are likely to annoy certain parties - but a good prayer sticks in the mind, and a wise priest ministers to the congregation God sends them - and not only the flock they would like.
Resources of Uncertain Authority
The National Cathedral
In the runup to the Bicentennial, then-Dean of the National Cathedral Francis Sayre Jr. compiled a set of prayers for each of the fifty states, as well as for the District of Columbia and the United States. These are used (with some revision) at Valley Forge; they seem to have fallen into desuetude, and have been rather ruthlessly scrubbed from the social media presence at the National Cathedral. One hopes that my parish’s larger, lower-church sibling has not neglected her duty to be a house of prayer for all of the American people!
Sayre’s prayer “For the Nation” reads as follows:
Bless, Lord, the bright land Thou hast lifted between the seas; her lonely wilds, her gentle earth ‘neath man’s taming hand; and the striving cities builded there.
Bless the fairness of her freedom: in battle defended, by law enshrined; mark of Thy love on every human brow.
Bless, O God, our country: in the teeming gifts her people bring, and the vision that unites them all, until upon this continent Thy truth be purified, thy glory become our crown; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It’s lovely, but not at all a collect. The pamphlet itself, from whose title that of this essay is taken, may not have ever been entered at the Library of Congress.
The Grey Book
Compiled as part of the process which led to the abortive 1928 English BCP, “The Grey Book,” also called “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory” was “commended” by the 51st General Convention at Atlantic City in 1934. (One wonders what the status a “commended” resource might be, and how it relates to a “memorialized” resource!
The Grey Book contains the following three prayers “For Our Country”:
66. O Lord our God, who dost will for all nations such good things as pass man's understanding; shape the desires and deeds of thy people in accordance with thy purpose for the world, that, seeking first thy kingdom and righteousness, we may be good citizens of this nation, and set forth the true welfare of mankind; through thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
67. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, bless our country that it may be a blessing to the world; grant that our ideals and aspirations may be in accordance with thy will, and help us to see ourselves as others see us. Keep us from hypocrisy in feeling or action. Grant us sound government and just laws, good education and a clean press, simplicity and justice in our relations with one another, and, above all, a spirit of service which will abolish pride of place and inequality of opportunity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
68. Teach us, O Lord, to see every question of foreign policy in the light of our Creed; that we may check in ourselves and in others every temper which makes for war, all ungenerous judgments, all promptings of self-assurance, all presumptuous claims; and grant that being ever ready to recognize the needs and aspirations of other nations, we may, with patience, do whatsoever in us lies to remove suspicions and misunderstandings; and to honor all men in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.8
Each of these are rather topical in their nature, and could do with some retooling as well. Nevertheless, just as they were commended in Boardwalk Hall nearly ninety Octobers ago, they commend themselves to us today. The true genius of the Grey Book, however, may be found in three of its litanies: the Litany for Peace,9 the Litany for Our Country10, and the General Intercession.11 I myself have used them as devotions during Vestry meetings, to great acclaim.
Looking Ahead
With the cumulus clouds of July 4 already billowing on the western horizon, this matter is rather academic for this year. But it’s never too early to begin planning for Friday, July 4, 2025. How will you - and your parish - keep the feast?
Perhaps, if the collects given in the BCP don’t speak to you, you might adapt another (with the permission of your bishop, as required.)
Perhaps, instead of Mass, you might observe Morning or Evening Prayer, just like the Founding Fathers did.
Perhaps your noonday liturgy might take the form of a litany and intercessions, led perhaps by a few laity in the Armed Forces.
There’s nothing that says you have to commemorate Independence Day with the Communion Service. In fact, given our church’s historical allusions and declining attendance, a quick wit will quickly seize on the utility of Morning and Evening Prayer as opportunities for real evangelism beyond the gathered community. Imperfect though she may be, we certainly have many aspects of the Republic to be thankful for - as long as she abides - and we also have our civic responsibilities. Just as Christ calls us to go forth and bring the Good News to the world, so too must we, as engaged citizens, strive to advance a true, square deal to an ever-broadening swathe of society.
History is made by the people who show up. Don’t lock your doors next Independence Day - be there, be present, and be a light to your community. For when even two or three are gathered together, God is with them.
Shepherd, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary, p. 263
ibid.
Hatchett, Commentary on the American Prayer Book, p. 202
ibid, p. 214
Colquhoun, Parish Prayers, http://assets.newscriptorium.com/collects-and-prayers/parishprs.htm
Shepherd, p. 35
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/United_States_protest_episc_ch_joint_committee_on?id=qSUBAAAAQAAJ
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1928/grey_book-4.htm#special
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1928/grey_book-3.htm#S21
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1928/grey_book-3.htm#S22
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1928/grey_book-3.htm#S23