After the Chaplain's opening prayer, a welcome by our Chairman (approx. ): Baxter Hood

Transcription

1 After the Chaplain's opening prayer, a welcome by our Chairman (approx. ): Baxter Hood Ladies and Gentlemen patriots welcome to Liberty Celebration. Tonight we feature a phrase from our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, which proclaims we are One Nation Under God. Hey folks it s America let s celebrate our great heritage! It s time to fire up our patriotic emotions put on our patriotic pants. Sing along, clap, stand up, whistle a little, sa lute. Our 1 st song proclaims our national motto In God We Trust! It s on our greatest monuments on our money too! Here in America in God we still trust! Let s join the historic spirit of patriotism tonight. Friends, we must let freedom ring! After "In God We Still Trust" (approx. 1:00): Bruce Lyttle Francis Bellamy, a Baptist pastor, wrote a short pledge of allegiance to the American flag as a way to start school each day and develop patriotism among our children. The Pledge of Allegiance was officially adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1942, and people throughout the country enjoyed this brief act of devotion. When the intense fighting of World War II came to a close, the threat of war still hung over the world as the new "super powers" aligned themselves into two major camps. This "Cold War" was between two ideologies: authoritarian control by the government or a government that allows more freedom. Americans wanted to show what distinguishes our nation from all those dictatorships, and they found that difference to be freedom of religion. Our nation is not afraid to acknowledge God and allow its citizens to worship Him openly. In 1954, two words were added to the pledge of allegiance: "Under God."

2 After "Finale Medley" ("I Love America!") (approx. 2:30): Bill Eachen I wasn't born in this country. I was born in Germany in My name was Wilhelm Johannes Fischer, the oldest of four children. When World War II began, my father was drafted into the German army. He was killed fighting in Russia. During the war there were many other hardships, including food and clothing shortages. Allied forces bombed our community often, and many of my neighbors were killed. We were surrounded by ground forces on numerous occasions. When the Germans occupied our town, my mother hung out a swastika flag. When the allied forces came through, she would hang out a white banner of truce. What a great day it was when the war finally came to an end! The Americans set up an army base near my home, and I often went down there to watch them. (music starts) I remember one day when I was nine years old: at morning muster, as the Americans were raising their flag, I said to myself, "One day that is going to be my flag." And this is how that wish came true: my mother met an American soldier who was a wonderful, patient, Christian man. He loved my mother and accepted all of us children as his own. When they were married, we were adopted, and my name was changed to William Eachen, now Bill Eachen. When we came to America in 1952, I wanted to become an American citizen. I was teased by classmates about my German accent, and I worked hard to lose that accent, trying to "talk like an American." I studied U. S. history and civics so I could pass the exam to become a citizen. My younger brothers and sister and I all followed in our new father's footsteps, joining the armed forces of the United States. I served eight years in the U. S. Navy. I love my adopted country. God has greatly blessed this nation, and He blessed me in allowing me to become an American. I have traveled in several parts of the world, and I have read about many other places. There is no place I would rather be than in the United States. Our nation is not perfect, but it is the nearest thing to heaven here on earth. I believe in America!

3 After "I Believe in America (approx. 0:17): Todd Caywood What a wonderful land we live in! From the Atlantic to the Pacific, we have a nearly endless variety of people and places to enjoy. Come go with me on a brief musical tour of our "One nation under God"! After "Sweet Home, Alabama" (approx. 0:11): Todd Caywood... Wow! We have been from coast to coast and from North to South. But we won't stop our tour without coming home: Home to Tennessee! Please make welcome J4 to our stage! During "Stars and Stripes Forever" (narration interleaved with the song): Robert Rothman Narration after "Stars and Stripes Forever: Military Songs" (approx. 1:40): Joe Kelly The Wall, by Kelly Strong The night was cold, I was ten years old When the Chaplain made his call. The news was bad, my mother was sad When she heard of my father's fall. An ambush he said, they all were dead; The words were shocking and cold. Eight other men died, eight other wives cried For young men who would never grow old. The years quickly passed, they seemed so fast With no father to show me the way. Yet I knew from the start, deep down in my heart, We'd be together, forever, one day. Through the laughter and tears, the months and the years I kept hearing "its" far-away call. The day was cold; I was thirty years old When my eyes first set sight on the WALL. It seemed ancient yet knew, as if somehow on cue When I saw it the Earth became still, And my memory, once gray, became focused that day On a man who now suddenly seemed real.

4 No more tears filled my eyes, no more lifetime of "Whys?"; All the answers I'd found in this place. With the touch of his name, gone was sorrow and pain, And bad memories were quickly erased. As I stared into the black, my father stared back, And he smiled and my heart filled with joy I said, "Welcome home, Dad, what a journey you've had!" He said, "It's sure great to be home, my boy!" After "Somebody Died for Me" (approx. 1:40): Sharon Baroody A woman who was born in Johnson City, TN, married a preacher who was born in Scotland, and that man eventually became the Chaplain for the U. S. Senate. His name was Peter Marshall, and in his first year as Chaplain, he prayed this prayer over the Senate on July 3, the day before Independence Day: "God of our Fathers, whose Almighty hand hath made and preserved our Nation, grant that our people may understand what it is they celebrate tomorrow. May they remember how bitterly our freedom was won, the down payment that was made for it, the installments that have been made since this Republic was born, and the price that must be paid for our liberty. "May freedom be seen not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to please to do what is right. May it be ever understood that our liberty is under God and can be found nowhere else. May our faith be something that is not merely stamped upon our coins, but expressed in our lives. "Let us, as a nation, be not afraid of standing alone for the rights of men, since we were born that way, as the only nation on earth that came into being 'for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.' We know that we shall be true to the Pilgrim dream when we are true to the God they worshiped. "To the extent that America honors Thee, wilt Thou bless America, and keep her true as Thou hast kept her free, and make her good as Thou hast made her rich. Amen."

5 After "One Nation Under God" (approx. 0:50): Larry Pierce The saying is true: being "one nation under God" really is our history and our heritage, a gift from God and from those that have gone before us. In June of 1954, President Eisenhower signed into law the joint resolution of Congress that added the two words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. He ended his speech that day with these words: "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war." We close the 2012 Liberty Celebration with a wonderful song of prayer: "America, the Beautiful."