panoramic view of the city with its

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PASTOR’S PEN CONTINUED:

         division into four major segments.  And from that vantage point one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant (the French were not always fickle friends): a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape with the White House to the north, the Jefferson Memorial to the south, the Capitol to the east, and  the Lincoln Memorial to the west. A cross!
No doubt this design was intended to carry a meaning for those who bother to notice.  Praise be to God!  Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings.  As I climbed those steps I was struck by the messages engraved in those memorial stones.  On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7,  Luke  18:16 and Proverbs 22:6.  Praise be to God!

When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848, deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society.  Praise be to God!  Such was the discipline, the moral direction, the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy ... "one nation, under God."

Have you ever read Washington's prayer for America? 

"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of  the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United states at large. . . . And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy,  and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of  mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed  religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things  we can never hope to be a happy nation.  Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen."

Laus Deo!

           The fact that our Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase "under God" makes perfect sense in light of how and by whom this nation was founded.  It is clear when one studies the history ofour great nation that Washington's America was one of the few countries in the entire world established under the guidance, direction and banner of Almighty God, to whom was given all praise, honor and worship by the great men who formed and fashioned her pivotal foundations.  And when one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation's capitol one will easily find the signature of God.

           We are a nation under God!  Laus Deo!  Praise be to God!

"Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain.  Unless the
Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”  (Psalm 127: 1)