Friday, July 3, 2026
Independence Day -- worship resources - July 4 -- at one's home - - Pray, sing, discuss, enjoy, visit, display the Flag, draw pictures of the U.S.A.
from GENERAL BOARD of DISCIPLESHIP (www.gbod.org/resources):
•In your family devotional time, use the following Scripture and prayer:
Joshua 4:6b-7______________
This Scripture talks about the stones placed at the side of the Jordan so that when the children saw them, they would ask to be told the story of the people coming into the Promised Land. Talk together as a family about the "stones" of faith in your house that help you remember the stories of God's people. Talk about the Bibles in your home, any symbols of Christianity in your home, any music of faith that you play in your home.
Think together about the "stones" of our country. Talk about such things as flags; red, white, and blue decorations; parades; and fireworks. Discuss what these things tell us as part of the story of our country.
•Pray together this prayer (or one you write yourself):
Gracious God. On this date in particular, we give thanks for this country. We thank you for the ideals of freedom and equality and inclusion that this country seeks to have. We pray for our leaders and ask that you guide them in making wise decisions that benefit the whole, not just a few. And we ask that you help us discern the division between country and faith so that all may have the same freedoms we so enjoy. Amen.
•Make and eat red, white and blue food. Make a blueberry or cherry pie. Add whipped topping to the pie. Make a fresh fruit salad using blueberries, cherries, red watermelon, mini-marshmallows, and red apples. Consider the hungry in your community. What could your family do to help those without enough food?
•Sing together patriotic songs such as "The Star Spangled Banner, "My Country 'Tis of Thee," "God Bless America," and "America, the Beautiful." See how many in the family know all the words to these songs. Award a prize to the family member who knows the most words to these patriotic songs.
•Visit places in your community that signify important people, events, or places in your community's history. These places could include a cemetery, a courthouse, a statue, or a historical site. Discuss together what makes something important for a nation's history. Is it the same as for a church's history? Why or why not?
•Display the flag if you have one. If you do not, draw pictures of the flag or other symbols of our country — such as the liberty bell — and place these in the windows of your home.
Pope Leo XIV Zoom Acceptance of Award July 3 (National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA) 11 a.m. ( Liberty Medal)
C-SPAN.org/
event/america-250/
pope-leo-receives-liberty-medal/443988
C-Span 2 -- also at website (free transmission)
details announced mid-March 2026
[ while the "War of Choice" had already
begun Feb. 28, 2026 ]
NY TIMES coverage
nytimes.com/2026/03/16/arts/
pope-leo-national-constitution-center.html
July 3
at Philadelphia, PA
his participation will be a distance event --
ZOOM / closed-link for those in attendance at
the Independence Hall location
(Signing and ratifying of the
Declaration of Independence)
Writer / suffragist / abolitionist Julia Ward Howe (lyricist of "Battle Hymn of the Republic") - born May 27, 1819 -- hymn published ATLANTIC_MONTHLY
May 27 is the the birthday of Julia Ward Howe, born on this date in 1819. Most people know her as the woman who wrote “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She was also a writer, a suffragist, and an abolitionist.
Julia Ward was born in New York City. She took charge of her own education, and made good use of the books her brother sent home from Europe. She married Samuel Gridley Howe — a doctor and a teacher for the blind — in 1843. He was 18 years older than she was, and they didn’t always agree on the proper role for a woman. Howe was very traditional and expected his wife to confine her life to the domestic sphere, but Julia was intelligent, educated, and inquisitive. She was fluent in seven languages and longed for a life outside the home. She settled for reading books on philosophy and being a writer. In 1846, she started a novel called The Hermaphrodite. She said, “It is not, understand me, a moral and fashionable work, destined to be published in three volumes, but the history of a strange being, written as truly as I know how to write it.” She never published the book, or even finished it, but it was in a collection that her granddaughter donated to Harvard. A graduate student discovered it in 1977 and it was finally published in 2004.
Howe published two books of poetry: Passion Flowers (1854) and Words for the Hour (1857). Her poems were very frank, and many people — including her husband — felt she exposed too many personal details. Their marriage was strained but they maintained a good working relationship on the inflammatory abolitionist paper The Commonwealth. She also wrote a play, a travel book, and a biography of Margaret Fuller.
In 1861, she accompanied her husband on a trip to Washington, D.C., to deliver medical supplies. She would often sing popular songs of the day with the Union troops. One of those songs was called “John Brown’s Body,” which was a marching song. One early morning, she was struck by the idea of writing new, Christian lyrics to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.” She called her new song “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and it was originally published as a poem in Atlantic Monthly. She was paid four dollars. The song became popular among Union soldiers and, later, among abolitionists. It’s reported that Abraham Lincoln cried the first time he heard it.
After the Civil War ended, Howe became involved with the suffragist movement and other causes to advance women’s rights. She organized the New England Woman Suffrage Association in 1868. In spite of their common cause, Howe and woman suffrage activists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony often butted heads over matters of strategy and ideology.
In 1908, she became the first woman to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She continued publishing; she founded the literary journal Northern Lights, and also Women’s Journal, which she ran for many years. She also helped establish the Mother’s Day holiday, which she envisioned as a solemn day on which mothers from around the globe would meet to discuss world peace.
Julia Ward Howe is the subject of a new biography by literary critic Elaine Showalter. The book is called The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe, and just published spring (2016).
from WRITER's ALMANAC (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor) http://writersalmanac.org
Julia Ward was born in New York City. She took charge of her own education, and made good use of the books her brother sent home from Europe. She married Samuel Gridley Howe — a doctor and a teacher for the blind — in 1843. He was 18 years older than she was, and they didn’t always agree on the proper role for a woman. Howe was very traditional and expected his wife to confine her life to the domestic sphere, but Julia was intelligent, educated, and inquisitive. She was fluent in seven languages and longed for a life outside the home. She settled for reading books on philosophy and being a writer. In 1846, she started a novel called The Hermaphrodite. She said, “It is not, understand me, a moral and fashionable work, destined to be published in three volumes, but the history of a strange being, written as truly as I know how to write it.” She never published the book, or even finished it, but it was in a collection that her granddaughter donated to Harvard. A graduate student discovered it in 1977 and it was finally published in 2004.
Howe published two books of poetry: Passion Flowers (1854) and Words for the Hour (1857). Her poems were very frank, and many people — including her husband — felt she exposed too many personal details. Their marriage was strained but they maintained a good working relationship on the inflammatory abolitionist paper The Commonwealth. She also wrote a play, a travel book, and a biography of Margaret Fuller.
In 1861, she accompanied her husband on a trip to Washington, D.C., to deliver medical supplies. She would often sing popular songs of the day with the Union troops. One of those songs was called “John Brown’s Body,” which was a marching song. One early morning, she was struck by the idea of writing new, Christian lyrics to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.” She called her new song “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and it was originally published as a poem in Atlantic Monthly. She was paid four dollars. The song became popular among Union soldiers and, later, among abolitionists. It’s reported that Abraham Lincoln cried the first time he heard it.
After the Civil War ended, Howe became involved with the suffragist movement and other causes to advance women’s rights. She organized the New England Woman Suffrage Association in 1868. In spite of their common cause, Howe and woman suffrage activists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony often butted heads over matters of strategy and ideology.
In 1908, she became the first woman to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She continued publishing; she founded the literary journal Northern Lights, and also Women’s Journal, which she ran for many years. She also helped establish the Mother’s Day holiday, which she envisioned as a solemn day on which mothers from around the globe would meet to discuss world peace.
Julia Ward Howe is the subject of a new biography by literary critic Elaine Showalter. The book is called The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe, and just published spring (2016).
from WRITER's ALMANAC (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor) http://writersalmanac.org
Julia Ward Howe - lyricist : "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Glory, glory Hallelujah
- - He (GOD) is trampling out the
vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored!
- - His Truth is Marching On !
Susie King Taylor -- 1902 - teacher / freedom fighter / nurse
Reminiscence of service
in a colored troop (she was a
nurse) - speaker-advocate
Was the war in 1861 in vain?
No redress for us from the negro-
hating white man?
The Courage Project
July 3, 2026
Interfaith service
recognition of Americans - who were able to
stand up
Frederick Douglass
Abraham Lincoln's
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
spiritual and civic leaders -- in their own words
______________________________________
Canon Historian
Jon Meacham
YOU TUBE Channel Interfaith Service begins 10 a.m. July 3, 2026: Canon Historian of the National Cathedral, D.C. -- live streamed
10 a.m. Friday
July 3, 2026
celebrating the 250th anniv. of 1776
Canon HISTORIAN
John Meacham
cathedral.org/calendar/
service-250
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