On 250 Years of Independence

I have returned home from an amazing pilgrimage to England, during which we slept in a Tudor-era inn that was over 500 years old. We prayed in cathedrals that were over 1,000 years old, with layers of Roman, Norman, Gothic, and Victorian architecture visibly showcasing their many different eras of history. We even visited a parish church in Canterbury that has hosted Christian worship for more than 1,400 years. To absorb the history of these ancient buildings allowed me to put our nation’s upcoming 250^th anniversary in perspective. 250 years of independence is a major milestone, and also a very short span of time in the grand scheme of things. I’ve only been around for 44 of those years, but that’s nearly 18% of the total time the United States of America has existed. This brave experiment in democracy is really still quite young.

Of course, the history of this land goes back much, much further than 250 years. Beautiful and complex civilizations existed and thrived here long before any European party crashers invited themselves over. But the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 marked a new chapter in American history. When representatives of the thirteen British colonies gathered in Philadelphia and declared themselves to be free from the tyranny of the Crown, the world changed forever.

For a still young nation, we have much of which we can be proud. In the past 250 years, we have ushered in hard-won progress and remarkable innovation. And our founding ideals have helped us do this, even as we have sometimes fallen short of them. Of course, we also must acknowledge these shortfalls. We have aspects of our past and present that cause regret and pain, and these are part of our story too. But even with our flaws, we have often been a vivid beacon of hope to the rest of world, and that is something in which we can take pride.

And so, as we wave our flags and sing our favorite patriotic songs this weekend, let’s remember that our young country still has new chapters ahead of us—chapters that we get to help shape, with God’s help. My prayer for our country this July 4 and always is that God will bless us with an ever-deepening commitment to our stated ideals of liberty, justice and equality. Or, as the Book of Common Prayer says on page 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 that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Carmen