The following Independence Day prayer was written by Reverend Sandhya Jha and published by Chalice Press. I have modified it a bit for the sake of brevity.
God of all nations and ours,
As we ask the long-posed question, “does that star spangled banner yet wave/ o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” help us make this land free
free from hatred of all religious minorities
free from exploitation of laborers
free from damage to the land and water so long cared for by you indigenous
brothers and sisters
free from contempt for immigrants who invest in this nation’s thriving
free from the new slavery of the prison system that tears apart so many Black and
Brown families
And help us be brave
brave in the face of religious and racial violence;
brave in contrast to the cowardice that would pit us against each other based on
race or class;
brave in order to care for refugees of all sorts as our scripture calls us to be
brave in order to do you will even when doing so is unpopular.
God, you do not honor human-made boundaries but honor the divinity and dignity of each person whom you made in your own image. May we remember that as we live in this complex global landscape.
And in so doing, may we truly do you honor as we seek truly and earnestly to be the land where all are free and the home where your followers are brave in good doing. Amen.