About the Author
The Rev. Ruth A. Meyers, Ph.D.Ruth Meyers is the Hodges-Haynes Professor Emerita of Liturgics at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.
Watch
See especially the presentation of the colors and the singing of the National Anthem (00:28–04:15), which introduced the service with a ritual honoring the United States; and an unplanned recognition of the military (55:21–57:20). These elements stand in contrast with the sermon (24:10–42:45; preached first in English, then in Spanish), which exhorted the congregation to welcome the stranger, especially those the world has not loved. See as well the song of praise, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (9:33–10:43), which replaced the canticle Gloria in excelsis.
Context
This celebration of the Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church / Iglesia Episcopal San Pablo in Houston, Texas, was streamed live on July 3, 2022, then posted to YouTube with the label “Organ Dedication / Patriotic Service.” The priest gave thanks for the new organ during his opening comments, but no prayers or other rituals marked the dedication of the organ.
Transcript
Prayer for Independence Day (Book of Common Prayer 1979, p. 242; 10:45–11:21):
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.
Liturgical Description
This service added patriotic celebrations to the usual Sunday worship that follows the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP). Most of the texts were taken from that official worship book, and most of the hymns from the official Hymnal 1982, primarily from the section of “National Songs.” In the 1979 BCP, Independence Day is classified as a Major Feast, along with apostles, evangelists, and other New Testament saints. The book appoints a collect (prayer of the day) and readings for this occasion, and on this day before Independence Day, they replaced the appointed Sunday collect and readings. Note that the presence of such denomination-wide liturgical resources—and presumed use of the same—marks an Episcopal congregation like St. Paul’s/San Pablo as different than the Free Church congregations (i.e., congregations that are completely free to determine their own worship practices) found in many of the other liturgical examples.
Presentation of the colors (00:28–04:15). The priest, standing behind the congregation and off camera, asked the congregation to stand for the presentation of the colors. Three flags, beginning with the American flag, were carried down the aisle by men wearing blue blazers and VFW hats. They proceeded in silence to the front of the church, near the altar. The assembly watched silently with no salutes or other gestures; a few recorded the procession on their phones. When they reached the altar, one of the detail barked out orders, and the flags were placed in stands on either side of the altar: the American flag on the left; the Texas flag on the right; the Episcopal Church flag next to and slightly behind the Texas flag, and one step lower than the national and state flags. After the flags were placed in their stands, upon another order, the detail saluted, along with a few members of the assembly. As they left the altar area, “The Star-Spangled Banner” began, accompanied by organ and trumpet.
Sermon. Referring to two of the readings appointed for Independence Day in the Prayer Book (Deuteronomy 10:17–21, Matthew 5:43–48), the sermon presented a vision for the country as a place where all are welcome and called for the Episcopal Church to welcome those whom the world has not loved.
Recognition of the military (55:21–57:20). In the transition from the service of the Word to the service of the Table, the priest began the offertory sentence (a brief sentence of scripture that introduces the preparation of the table for communion), and a member of the assembly interrupted him. He allowed her to come forward to the lectern, saying, “Uh oh, this is unplanned.” The woman announced, “Today we celebrate the birth of this nation and all the freedoms that we have. If you are currently a member of the military, or have been, would you please stand.” The assembly responded with spontaneous applause. She continued by asking family members to stand: first spouses, next a child or parent, then a brother or sister, and finally grandparents. The applause continued, and people remained standing as each new group was called. The recognition concluded with the leader stating, “This is the land of the free, and the home of the brave. And it is. And these are the faces of the brave, not only the soldiers, but all of us who stood by them.” The priest responded “Amen” and led the assembly in applause.
Societal Aspirations
Unlike many of the other examples on this site, this service does not voice a single, unified vision for the nation. Its patriotic rituals honor the flag and the military, while its sermon presents a vision of the country as a place where all are welcome, especially those whom the world has not loved. The tension between these two visions is explored in the appraisal below.
Appraisal: The Four Theologies of Worship
Read more about the four theologies of worship →
Dynamic Worship Narrative
The presentation of colors and the honoring of the military contrast with the standard order of the service for the Holy Eucharist in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer, which is designed to draw people into the narrative of God’s saving activity—past, present and yet to come. Neither the presentation of the colors nor the recognition of the military and their family members make any reference to God. The sermon acknowledges Independence Day and presents a vision of a country where all are welcome, but it makes no reference to the military. The probing question: What connections, if any, might worshipers make between the story of God’s activity with humanity (a story they celebrate week by week) and the added elements honoring the flag and the military in recognition of Independence Day?
Eschatological
The presentation of flags by veterans, the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the recognition of military members and their families focus on the past and present and emphasize service through warfare. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” introduces a future orientation with violent apocalyptic imagery. In contrast, the sermon recognizes that the vision of welcome for all has not been realized, and both the sermon and the eucharistic prayer portray a tension between the present and the hoped-for future in God. The probing question: Taken together, what vision of the inbreaking of the reign of God do these different elements of the service portray?
Trinitarian
The service highlights zeal for the nation in the presentation of the flags, giving priority to the national and state flags over the Episcopal Church flag; singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a song celebrating a military victory with no reference to God’s action; and an identification of members of the military and their families as “the brave,” with no suggestion that relationship with the triune God might prompt their service. Alongside these elements, the customary rhythm and content of the Holy Eucharist ground the worship in the action of the triune God, beginning with the opening acclamation, “Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (BCP 1979, p. 355). The probing question: Which takes priority in this service: the national pride portrayed in the presentation of the colors and the celebration of the military, or the assembly’s participation in God’s self-giving through the Son and the Spirit as expressed in the Eucharist?
Christological
Two communities are evident in this service: the nation, with its flags and military; and the body of Christ, which feeds on Christ in both Word and Sacrament. The probing question: To what extent, if any, does the celebration of the nation limit or distort the assembly’s encounter with Christ through worship?
For Consideration & Discernment
In this worship, military service was highlighted not only directly, by asking members of the military and then their families to stand, but also indirectly in the presentation of the colors by three veterans identified by their veterans’ caps. Yet Independence Day does not celebrate a military victory, but rather the birth of the United States through the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Are there ways in which Christian worship can celebrate the ideals expressed in that declaration while placing them in the larger context of God’s saving action with all of humanity?
The prayer for Independence Day (quoted in the transcript above) included in the official worship book of the Episcopal Church asserts that in the Name of God, the “founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us.” Yet the founders of this country agreed to allow the practice of enslavement to continue, belying the claim in the Declaration of Independence that all are created equal, with the right to liberty as well as life and the pursuit of happiness. Compare this prayer for Independence Day with an alternative prayer “For the Nation” (BCP p. 258), which prays to God who has “made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace” and asks God to give the people of our country “a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with [God’s] gracious will.” How does each of these prayers interpret God’s action in human history?
Reflection & Discussion Questions
- What forms of celebration, if any, of the nation’s independence are appropriate to include in Sunday worship? What criteria guide these decisions?
- On what occasions, if any, are national flags appropriate symbols in a worship space? If so, how should they be displayed and acknowledged in relation to other symbols?
- How, if at all, might Christians express their patriotism, love of country, in the context of worship, without falling into a Christian nationalism that fuses American and Christian identities?