Proclaim liberty

A litany for worship around US Independence Day

by Ken Sehested

Let praise leap from the lungs, ascend the throat, rattle the teeth and flutter the tongue. The Blessed Haunt of Zion calls out to all flesh. To this Embrace, everything that has breath shall come. The God who lingers in slave quarters assails every Pharaoh’s palace:

Let my people go! Proclaim liberty throughout the land!

Independence from the Reign of Death has been declared! The boundaries of transgression have been breached. The Liberty Bell of Creation echoes across the hills and plains. The God who forges a people of redemption sets the covenant of freedom as the bond of bounty:

Proclaim liberty throughout the land!

The very edges of the earth hear the sound of God’s Rousing. The sun’s rising is a gateway for the Beloved’s Voice, and the evening stars burst into freedom song. The God who waters the earth and sprouts abundant harvest, who clothes the meadow and silences the roaring sea, makes this demand of every citizen of Mercy:

Proclaim liberty throughout the land!

Let no one lift a coin of gold and say, “In God We Trust.” The shekel’s rule and the shackle’s restraint shall feel the wrath of the One who sets prisoners free. In this confidence, sing and shout together, lift every voice and sing:

Proclaim liberty throughout the land!

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org   •   Inspired by Psalm 65