Earlier this week, our nation celebrated its 247th “birthday” commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A word regularly associated with this holiday is “freedom.” The familiar words from the Declaration articulate this founding principle, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yet it is clear from our nation’s history, that “freedom” is an ongoing journey that has yet to be applied equally to all people. For the first 89 years, the horror of race based chattel slavery was a regular feature of our national life. For the next 100 years, legal racial segregation was accepted as a “way of life” in many parts of the country. Racial disparities in housing, education, healthcare, criminal justice, and family wealth are among the current legacies of our past. Facing up to these realities is not unpatriotic. Rather it is the foundation for continuing the journey toward freedom for all in our time. We can celebrate the founding principles of our nation while at the same time calling ourselves to account for the unfulfilled realities that still exist. Martin Luther King, Jr. summarized this calling with these words, “All I’m saying to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper’.”
The late great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson offered another helpful way to think about the meaning of “freedom.” During the worship service at Belmont UMC in Richmond, VA this past Sunday, I was introduced to a powerful selection by Peterson called “Hymn to Freedom.” The couple who shared this instrumental piece with the congregation also shared the story behind it and lyrics associated with it. Although I enjoy and appreciate jazz, I was unfamiliar with this piece. When I looked it up on YouTube, I found a variety of versions including one by Oscar Peterson himself that had over 2.5 million views. I want to share this with you as a way to celebrate the principle of “freedom” and keep in front of us the calling to continue this journey until it is a reality for all God’s children in our nation and around the world. The first video posted below features Oscar Peterson playing the instrumental version. The second video features a performance that includes the lyrics. Here are the lyrics:
When every heart joins every heart
And together yearns for liberty
That’s when we’ll be free
When every hand joins every hand
And together molds our destiny
That’s when we’ll be free
Any hour any day, the time soon will come
When men will live in dignity
That’s when we’ll be free, we will be
When every man joins in our song
And together singing harmony
That’s when we’ll be free
