America the Beautiful

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America the Beautiful, Fourth of July, hymn, prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tribute

One day when she was teaching English at Colorado College in the summer of 1893, poet Katharine Lee Bates and some other teachers decided to take trip up Pikes Peak in a prairie wagon to see the view from the top. Later she recalled that after leaving the wagon near the top and going the rest of the way on mules, she was very tired. But she continued: “When I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with this sea-like expanse.” Words of a poem began to come to her and when she returned to her hotel room, she wrote down the words, first published in the Independence Day edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist in 1895 with the name Pikes Peak. In 1910 a hymn tune composed earlier by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward was published with Bates’ poem as America the Beautiful. (wikipedia)

I have thought for many years that this hymn should be our national anthem because of the qualities of soul expressed in each stanza and refrain. I am always disappointed when only one or two of the four verses are sung. Today, when we are reflecting on how to be our best selves as Americans, I hope to spend some time listening to – and singing – this wonderful tribute to our country. My prayer will be one of gratitude and hope that we will live up to the responsibilities that are ours as citizens of this beautiful land.

1. Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
   
   
2. Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stern, impassioned stress, a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.
   
   
3. Oh, beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine, till all success is nobleness and every gain divine.
   
   
4. Oh, beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

The Whole Song

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America the Beautiful, brotherhood, God Bless America, heroes, liberating, Memorial Day, patriot, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Songs and pictures have a way of inspiring emotion and passion in ways that the spoken word often fails to do. I find this true especially of prayer as well as in patriotic lyrics and the faces of those who serve in branches of our military – especially on holidays like today. The sung prayer of Irving Berlin named God Bless America surely helped people hold hope through World War I and before that America the Beautiful reminded Americans of the great gift of the land and the country that is ours.

I’m a fan of going beyond the first verse of any song. I get frustrated when hymn singing is truncated, leaving praise or messages about correct behavior hanging, incomplete. I say that with regard to patriotic songs as well as Church hymns. For instance, the fourth verse of How Great Thou Art takes us all the way to heaven but leaving off at the end of verse three can be deflating at best. (Just my opinion, of course.)

On this particular holiday, the best example of my argument is the aforementioned America the Beautiful. The refrain that begins each time with “America, America” is only the same in verses one and four. Great prayers are put forth in verses two and three, graces that we need as much as “brotherhood” (or sisterhood!). As a matter of fact, the entire verses are worth repeating here…so read on and see if you don’t agree.

1. O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain… America, America, God shed His grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
2. O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress a throroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness…America, America, God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self -control, thy liberty in law.
3. O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life…America, America, may God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness and every gain divine.
4. O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears…America, America, God shed His grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Amen. God bless us all. Amen.

The Freedom of Integrity

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Alan Cohen, America the Beautiful, blessings, divine assistance, grace, honest, independence, Independence Day, inner freedom, integrity, Peace, perspectives, psalm 26, taking sides, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, united

 

On this day when inhabitants of the United States of America celebrate Independence Day, I am very conscious of the words “united” and “independence.” In the first two texts I encountered this morning, the common word was “integrity” so I add that third to my alphabet soup as my thoughts swirl around the privilege of living in this country.

Psalm 26 sings out to God with a willingness and a plea: I will walk the path of deep integrity, if you but show the way and give your grace that I may stand, my feet at last on level ground, with all who gather there to praise your name. (vs. 11-12) Alan Cohen adds a similar affirmation of inner freedom, declaring: I pray to walk in peace and freedom, shining as a model of integrity to all.

Both of the above quotes speak of what we used to call “divine assistance” – however each person defines the need of a higher power. In addition it is clear that our integrity depends in some way on our relationships to other persons. We need to have interior freedom in order to act with integrity but we must also see our actions mirrored in the eyes of others in order to judge ourselves justly. It is a sticky, tricky business to maintain interior freedom and honest relationships with others. Even more demanding than this practice is that task in the collective of family, business, church or nation. The pull of our own desires and perspectives so often clouds our ability to see the wisdom of others that relationships devolve into taking sides and vilifying “the enemy” – whoever that may be.

I often say that America the Beautiful is my favorite patriotic hymn. I used to be taken by the vision of amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties but now am more focused on the refrains that pray the following for America:

1. God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
2. God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.
3. May God thy gold refine, till all success be nobleness and every gain divine.

May we take some time today to reflect on the blessings we enjoy in this country and look into our hearts to assess our sense of responsibility for the furtherance of the ideals on which the country was founded.

Happy Fourth!