![](https://cdn.monkplatform.com/image/czoxNjg6Imh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbSUyRmFjY291bnQtbWVkaWElMkYyODIwOCUyRnVwbG9hZGVkJTJGbCUyRjBlMTgyMTY0NThfMTcxOTk1MjI2N19saWJlcnR5LWJlbGwtbm8teW9rZS05NjAteC00ODAxLmpwZyUzRnMlM0QzOGZhMjVhODdmMjEwN2RiNjUwZGZkOGFkMjg3MDdiMyI7/liberty-bell-no-yoke-960-x-4801.jpg)
One Fourth of July in the 1990s, I visited Philadelphia. I first touched the Liberty Bell and stood inside Independence Hall on that visit. It was hot and humid, and I imagined being in that un-air-conditioned space in the several layers of clothing worn by the 18th-century signers of the Declaration of Independence.
This year on Independence Day, having visited Philadelphia again last fall for training for our National Fund for Sacred Places grant, I have a fresher and somewhat cooler sense of Independence Hall and that big, cracked bell. I'm praying for our country, for all those who hold the public trust, and for all of us. If you'd like to join me, here's a great prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, p 258, "For the Nation":
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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