LBW #566, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee"
Devotion
A hymn for personal reflection:
My country, ‘tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountain side Let freedom ring.
My native country, thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love;
I love thy rock and rills, Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong.
Our fathers’ God, to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright, With freedom’s holy light.
Protect us by thy might, Great God, our king.
Prayer
God of seedtime and harvest,
Summer and winter,
Day and night,
We give thanks for the rhythms of daily life.
Cause us to praise you not as we ought to,
But as we are able.
Amen.