Jackson Jambalaya

This past Sunday our church sang “America the Beautiful.” I love to sing the old patriotic hymns around July 4th. We sang several together and most in our congregation could sing the old hymns by heart.

In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write the words after a train trip from Massachusetts to Colorado Springs to teach English at Colorado College. Imagine that trip in terms of the lyrics Bates wrote. The words began to come to her as she reflected on the wheat fields of Kansas and she stood high above on Pikes Peak. Returning to her hotel room at the Antlers Hotel, she began writing the inspired words that thankful patriots would sing to commemorate July 4th for more than a century.

“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!”

As we sang the words we could see the panorama Bates had painted in words from above. God was very much inspiring her as she remembered the vistas through the windows as the train rolled across the heart of America.

“O 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.”

We reflect with Bates as we sing of “pilgrim feet” plotting a “thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness.” Then we appeal to God, asking Him to “mend” America’s flaws, to confirm the soul of America in self-control, and our liberty in law.

“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 ev’ry gain divine.”

Looking toward the future, American heroes strove for liberty because they loved America more than self and mercy more than life. Truly, may God refine our treasures until all of our success be noble and every gain a gift from the Divine.

“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.”

America was founded on a patriot dream that saw far beyond those early days and was not dimmed by human tears of continuous struggles. We still plea for God to shed His grace on our nation. America does not deserve God’s favor and never will, but God has given us His grace out of his great love for America.”

God sees America from sea to shining sea and wants all of us to renew our former brotherhood as one nation under God. Forces of darkness and division have split us apart from one another of the same heritage. God has consistently reunited America throughout our history as we have joined together to combat common mortal enemies.

Christians should be first to bow our knees together in praise to God, to confess our many sins individually and as a nation, and to thank God for His continuing rich grace and blessings to us. We are America the Beautiful.

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.