Of all the special days on the American calendar, I love Independence Day the most. I guess that as a free born Scotsman, whose leaders like William Wallace and Robert the Bruce fought and died for liberty, I appreciate the Great American Struggle to win independence for themselves. It was not an easy choice to make, nor was it an easy cause to fulfill. Without commitment and dedication, patience and perseverance, unity and determination, liberty would never have been won.

 Psalm 18:49    Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;I will sing praises to your name.

We forget that they took on the strongest army in the world. We don’t appreciate the magnitude of the struggle. It was like David versus Goliath on an international scale and the rocks inside the slingshot, which fortified the Revolution, were called Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

I sometimes wonder if the revolutionaries really understood what they were accomplishing. Most of them fought for their families and colonies. It was a question of survival against the mightiest power on earth. When the War was over and their new Nation was recognized, I wonder if they really knew what the consequences would be. Their gutsy decisions, haphazard victories, and loyalty to the cause engendered a new beginning for the whole world. They showed every nation on earth that the God given right to be free is the greatest force and noblest quality that humanity can ever experience.

The writer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, once wrote “The God who gave us life…also gave us liberty.” In my opinion, that is one of the most truthful statements ever written in the annals of human history.

So today, I will celebrate this precious day by thanking God for the United States, its people, and its freedoms. I will remind myself of the costs and causes of the past, as well as the responsibilities that our liberties lay upon us today as free citizens. All of these blessings are God given rights which we need to cherish and continue to spread throughout the world. After all, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness should be blessings that every child, woman, and man should know and experience all over this planet.

Prayer:             Lord God, we thank You for the courage and wisdom of those who established this nation. We are humbled by their achievements and blessed by their accomplishments. Help us to cherish this day with our families and friends, our neighbors and people. Let freedom ring throughout this nation and across the entire world. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Todays' the day that the Democrat party will cast aside the will of 48 States and uphold the votes of rule-breakers Michigan and Florida. It's all being done to appease the wrath of the whining Clintons, who can't win any way other than through cheating and pouting, raging and protesting. If, at the end of the day, the Former First Family get their way, then just call it what it is: the Clinton party, because Democrat or Democratic just won't fit anymore.

This public Hillary hissy-fit has employed racist tactics, bullying balloteers, and the usual dirty politics. Shame on the Dems, if they deny Obama the lead and the right to lead his party. He has come from obscurity, taken on, and beaten the Borgias without resorting to their poisonous play. He has constantly taken the high road, whereas the Clintonistas have embroiled the whole country in their usual gutter politics.

So today, Dear Dems, you have a choice: live up to the word 'democracy' and let the majority vote of the rule keeping other 48 States stand, or let the Clinton lunatics take over the whole asylum.

 

Memorial Day Sonnet

If Liberty means anything to me,

I will remember what my freedom cost,

By those who gave their all to keep me free,

Whose lives were sacrificed, but never lost.

I will remind myself of what they did,

And keep them dearly cherished in my heart;

Their honor never from me shall be hid

And I will know they always did their part

To save our nation and its people here,

To pledge their lives in defense of our ways,

To show that freedom always outlives fear,

And sacrifice is hallowed all our days.

If Liberty means anything to me,

I will remember those who kept me free.

© John Stuart 2008

Pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church,

Knoxville, Tennessee