The Shot Heard Round the World

Ten years ago, on April 19, 1995 a truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City - 168 people were killed, some of whom were children, and hundreds more were injured. Many have gathered at the Oklahoma City National Memorial in solemn remembrance of those who lost their lives in the explosion. Events such as the Oklahoma City bombing and the September 11 attacks are not easily forgotten – as a nation they are forever sealed in our collective memory. However it will probably escape the attention of most that the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing also is the 230th anniversary of the battle of Lexington and Concord, which ignited the American Revolution.

Patriot's Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in April. This often overlooked holiday is only recognized by three states (Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin) and is marked most notably by the running of the Boston Marathon. Patriot's Day commemorates the battle of Lexington and Concord which took place on April 19, 1775. It was this famous revolutionary battle that was preceded by the midnight ride of Paul Revere and made immortal by the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote:

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world."

The battle of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of America's war for independence. It was then the blood of the first American patriots was spilled. From that day until this, many of our men and women have willingly given their lives for the cause of freedom – in many wars, on many continents, with varying degrees of support from the home front.

The blood shed on September 11, 2001 became the catalyst in the war on terrorism. That tragic event briefly united Americans in a common cause, however that unity has splintered. National tragedy may have amalgamated the masses, but growing differences in values and philosophy have driven a wedge down the middle of American society. Americans are fighting a battle both in foreign lands and here at home. In the war against terrorism our enemy is easily defined, however the domestic battle lines are more muddled. As a nation we have begun to abandon the faith and values of our founding fathers.

Let us assess the State of the Union in the mirror of Gods Word. Homosexuality is accepted as simply "an alternative lifestyle." We murder babies that are socially inconvenient. We change marriage partners like a fashion statement. We have abandoned the sanctity of commitments in our families and in our businesses. Immorality and deceit have come to characterize the highest offices in our land. We have allowed God to be banished from public school classrooms and we have watched as religious expression is constrained under the auspices of "separation of church and state." Our mainline media takes pride in forming public opinion rather than informing it, which had been its sacred role in a representative republic. Our culture has disconnected character from destiny. Our entertainments celebrate adultery, fornication, violence, aberrant sexual practices and every imaginable form of evil. We have become the primary exporters of everything that God abhors.

Please take some time this week to pray for spiritual healing for our nation, wisdom for our leaders, and safety for our soldiers fighting overseas. Also, in honor of Patriot's Day, please take a moment to thank our military veterans and those in active military service for risking their lives for the cause of freedom.