The parades, the fireworks, the flag-waving, the fanfare—and that’s all just when you enter the worship service each week! Oops, you’ve asked for God’s forgiveness for those thoughts, haven’t you? Of course, those are actually elements of the Fourth of July...Independence Day...Happy birthday, USA!
Wouldn’t it be great if you could capture some of the feelings Americans seem willing to display for their country and incorporate them into your worship service? Here are a few ideas on how to do just that.

Patriotic hymns—Check out your hymnbook (or check one out of the local public library if you don’t use hymnbooks); look up “patriotic” in the topical index. You’ll usually find “America the Beautiful,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “America” (“My Country ’Tis of Thee”). Also, consider the lesser-known second verse of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Patriotic readings/prayers—Pull out your trusty hymnbook again and look in the Scripture Readings index (try looking up “special occasions”) for a patriotic day reading. If your congregation uses a more contemporary style, consider updating the reading using a more contemporary translation of Scripture.

Quotes of founding fathers—Check out the “Preaching & Teaching” department in the July/ August 2000 issue of Rev. for selected quotes (available online at www.OnlineRev.com/current_items/quotes.shtml), or do Internet searches for “patriotic quotes” and similar phrases.

Flag processional—If you want some of the celebration but would like to de-Americanize your service, pull together the flags of as many countries as you can, and have the children of your church proceed to the front of your worship area carrying them. Read Scriptures such as those from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). For the processional, consider the stirring hymn “Through All the World.”