[Repeat the following prayer for 9 days in a row.]

God our Father,
Your Son Jesus spoke to us
a message of peace
and taught us to live as brothers and sisters.

His message took form
in the vision of our Founding Fathers,
as they fashioned a nation
where all people might live as one.

This message lives on in our midst
as a task for us today
and a promise for tomorrow.

We thank You, Father,
for Your blessings in the past,
and for all that,
with Your help,
we must yet achieve.

Bless our nation and bless each of us.
As we thank You for our independence,
may we extend its blessings
to our youngest brothers and sisters,
the children in the womb.

Hasten the day when our nation
will be a nation with liberty and justice,
not just for some, but for all,
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.