Written by Frank Vancove in 1976, a boy from a Roloff home- Anchor Home for Boys.
Old Glory, I've seen many a picture of you when you were in your prime. How properly were you named Old Glory!
I've seen many a portrait of you as you appeared to Francis Scott Key, when you waved over Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. How proudly you waved! And every right you had to do so.You represent that which was good and clean, and worth the giving up of even one's life.
Yet, Old Glory, these were just pictures- reminders of days gone by.
As I look upon you now, my heart bleeds. No longer do you proudly wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave. No longer are you respected and honored. No, now you are spat upon and misused.
No longer does that old eagle stand proudly above you and cry, "Liberty and Justice for all"! No, now she sits with wings close, shoulders slouched; her beak gnarled and crooked.
Old Glory, truly you are old. This year is your 200th birthday, but you are no longer glorious. Ichabod has been written across you and the nation for which you stand for your people have turned their backs on the One who made them great.
I can close my eyes and picture you waving over Ft. McHenry. The bombs exploding in the air reveal you as you boldly stand out against the sky. Your blood red stripes stand and cry, "This is the price of freedom!" Though the Declaration of Independence was written in ink, it was sealed with the blood of those who signed it. As I behold your red stripes, I think of the courage these men had to lay down their lives for the freedom of their children to come.
Yet now, you do not look the same as I had pictured you. Your red stripes are now a faded pink. Your people are no longer brave. No longer will they stand and fight for that which is right. Law breakers are their heroes. They have glorify losing to the point that they have now lost their first war. No longer are they a powerful, respected nation. The world now stands and laughs at them.
Old Glory, why have your people turned from the One who made them great?
Your white stripes are no longer so, now they are a dirty grey. Your people no longer care to be pure. They no longer seek after holiness. No longer is the Lord's day honored.
Immorality is encouraged across the land. Your people laugh at those who practice holiness, and smile upon those who live in sin. They have wallowed in Satan's pig pen, and now, Old Glory, they are paying the price. For, you see, the nation for which you stand is dying.
As I see your stars on a field of blue, I think of the stars in the heavens. I ask, "Can those heavenly bodies exist by themselves?" No, if it were not for the omnipotent hand of God those stars would disintegrate and fly apart never to be seen again.
Yet, Old Glory, your people think they can exist without Almighty God. They have kicked him out of the home, the school, and the government. And look what has happened! The force courts are full to capacity. Policemen patrol the halls of your schools to protect teachers from students. Our government is full of nothing but corruption.
Old Glory, your people have proven a nation cannot stand without God. As I look at you, all I can see are the ashes of what was once a great nation.
Yet, through the darkness I see a ray of hope. I hear a voice as it cries, "If your people will turn back to Me, and seek my face. I will forgive their sin, and cleanse their land."
Old Glory, all is not lost. There is still hope! But, first, your people must return to God. Then once more can you proudly wave above the land. Then, and only then, will that old eagle be able to stand tall, and spread her wings, and boldly cry, "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!"
