I recently discovered that Memorial Day in this country was originally proclaimed by General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic - read Union - in 1868 to honor the soldiers, North and South, who had died in the Civil War and that only after World War I was it declared to honor the dead of all wars fought by this country. But it is a holiday not without controversy. Many Southern States refused to celebrate this federally mandated holiday and, instead, chose to declare their own dates of commemoration - some of which are still celebrated today.

But we are gathered here on this Sunday before Memorial Day, either the Monday holiday that became effective in 1971 or the earlier May 30th. date, to try to make some sense of things in the light of more recent history in our country and the world. With that purpose in mind, I was drawn to the lyrics of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” a song that has experienced a revival in the United States during the last year. What I did not know about was the introduction that Berlin wrote to this 1918 song when he revised it in 1938 to support peace. This introduction, that was meant to be spoken rather than sung, goes like this:

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that is free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

Then, follows the song that we sang a few minutes ago.

God bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam.
God bless America, My home sweet home.
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Since September 11, we have seen the slogan “God Bless America” in store windows, on the bumpers of cars and trucks, from radios and TVs, and in the rhetoric of a number of public figures. And I have made no secret from this pulpit of the fact that I have a lot of difficulty with the sentiments expressed in that slogan.

Theologically, I am greatly troubled by the concept of God as an anthropomorphic, human-like being who can bless us with some sort of divine power, and I have particular difficulty with the idea that we should, or even could, pray for such a being to give us protection. And, finally, to me at least, the words suggest that we are asking for power for ourselves alone and not for all people, whose God may go by a different name, to be blessed - a truly ethnocentric statement of selfishness and egotism. In fact, I agree with United Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder who said: “To seek God’s blessings for America and not for the world fails to recognize the wideness of God’s mercy and the expanse of God’s love.”

And seeing ourselves as especially worthy, brings me face to face with some of our own transgressions. Were we Americans not the ones who unleashed atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the ones who forced the Native Americans from their homeland; the ones who have supported brutal dictatorships throughout the world in order to protect our economic interests; the ones who supported slavery on our own soil less than 200 years ago; the ones who continue to place blockades on countries because we disagree with their leaders, while their people suffer. - And then I remember the abused and abandoned children in this country and the homeless people that we help to feed once a month here in our own city. And I remember the large percentage of African-American people, largely men, who are on death row as we meet here this morning. - And the list goes on. - So why, I might ask, do we deserve special blessings?

And you might ask why I have I chosen to talk about this topic today? Certainly not because I have all the answers, but because I am still struggling to try to understand what it means to be a patriotic U.S. citizen on the Sunday before our first Memorial Day after September 11th. - whether the FBI and the President should have warned us or not. And I am asking you to join the struggle with me this morning.

As many of you know, I traveled during this last week to see my father in South Carolina, to be with him as he faced the reality of my mother’s death this time last year and her upcoming birthday, ironically enough on May 30, the official date of Memorial Day. And, I am sorry to say that he is not doing very well. - But on that trip, I was reminded of another reality - every time I entered another airport - three all together - The reality of the effects of the terrorist attacks on September 11 in the long lines and body searches caused by heightened security in light of possible future terrorism. And I saw a Middle Eastern-looking man wearing a cross on the outside of his shirt as he got on the plane I took from Dulles International to LAX. Did he feel he needed to protect himself from the judgements of those on the plane?

Now, I have to admit that my heart swells with emotion and pride at the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” or “America the Beautiful” or a Sousa march. And I have been touched by reading the stories of countless people who have opened their hearts and put their own lives at stake to help the families and friends of the victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. I am convinced that democracy is the hope for the world and that we are very fortunate indeed to be living in this place and this time.

But patriotism, at least for me, is not about believing in my country - right or wrong - and the unerring righteousness of its elected or appointed representatives. And Evil, to paraphrase Nathan Baxter, Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, does not necessarily wear a turban, or a yarmulke, or a cross. Evil wears a garment that is woven from the threads of hate and fear. And, the terrorism that we fear so much may, in fact, have the face of government spokespersons who tell us that it is treason to question the propriety of our government’s decisions.

But just as I was pondering those things, I received the following message from Marlene Everingham, a woman who recently visited our congregation and shared her thoughts on this morning’s topic with me in a letter. I found a great resonance with her words, and I would like to share them with you this morning with her permission.

In her letter, she says: “'God Bless America!' What does this mean? Does it express the foundation of my faith that everything starts with blessing? Is it a profound prayer for the country I love? Or are these words a cover for greed and deception in high places, sailing under the banner of patriotism and God?

I can only answer what ‘God Bless America’ means to me. Perhaps you will add your own blessings.

God bless the America I have loved - the America which strives to abide by the rule of law with equality and justice for all.
God bless the America where it has been assumed that a person is innocent until proved guilty.
God bless the many generations of the oppressed, the poor, including my own ancestors, who have come to America in hope for a better life.
God bless the America defended by countless young men and women who gave, and are giving, their lives for something bigger than themselves.
God bless America, the land of workers who’ve wearied but not wavered, quietly laboring for the common good.
God bless America, land of whistle blowers who stand up, at great personal cost, to say ’that isn’t just or right or fair.’
God bless the America of those who are grateful for the blessings of living in this country and are not numb or unmindful of the costs of those blessings.
God bless Americans who love their land, the countrymen (and women), and do not regard people of other nations as unworthy of respect.
God bless the common sense of the American people.
God bless the children who still sing of ‘purple mountain’s majesty’ and ‘amber waves of grain’ with pure hearts.
God bless those who, in the face of cynicism, still look for a better way.
(And) God bless our precious land and those who care for its health and the health of our whole vulnerable planet, knowing we are all connected."

So what do I believe “God Bless America” can mean for us today? I am not sure - but I think that it means we can bless each other with our love a caring in a multitude of ways. When I write my signature on letters with the word “Blessings” before it, it is not because I believe that I can give you blessings. I am simply wishing that you will have all the blessings that this world can give - blessings that we can share with each other. - And I am not trusting that something beyond ourselves can do the job - but taking asking each of us to take on that divine job ourselves. Nor am I limiting us just to those who suffer in this country - but for spreading our blessings to our brothers and sisters throughout this world of ours.

I believe that is what we mean in our statement of purpose when we say: “Affirming the essential dignity and worth of every human being, we join in fellowship in a quest of religious and ethical values to enrich our personal lives, to grow in understanding of ourselves and of our world and to serve others.”

If we really believe that. I think that we can sing (sing) RealAudio

God bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam.
God bless America, My home sweet home.
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Blessings on you and all of us as we try to find our way in these difficult times.