Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. On this date in history 91 years ago, “The Star Spangled Banner” was officially adopted as our national anthem. Written by Francis Scott Key 117 years beforehand on September 14, 1814, on a ship in the waters off Baltimore, MD, it could not become our national anthem without a congressional resolution signed by the President; Congress did resolve, and President Herbert Hoover signed their resolution. Key’s poem , originally titled “The Defense of Fort M’Henry” was set to a well-known English tune just as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was. Why do two of our most beloved patriotic songs have British tunes? Because we were originally British colonies! It is the law that one must stand, face the flag, and salute when the national anthem is played; if no flag is present, one should stand facing the music while rendering a salute. The law does not say that anyone should ever kneel during the national anthem. Since the law is regulatory in nature and is subject to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, no one can be fined or jailed for disobedience; even so, I like the expression, “I stand for the flag and kneel for the cross.” We live in a great nation that was founded by godly men on Christian principles, but that guarantees Americans nothing. We must repent of our personal and national sins seeking the blessings of God for our continued success. As Key put it in his poem, “…and this be our motto, in God is our trust.”
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