Paired with a historic print from America’s centennial, this reflection considers how 250 years of freedom invite us to live with gratitude, purpose and faithful service.
Independence Day often brings familiar traditions: flags waving, families gathering, music playing and fireworks lighting the summer sky. Yet this milestone year invites us to look a little deeper. Two hundred fifty years after the nation’s founding, we give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy while also considering how those freedoms call us to serve our neighbors with humility, courage and love.
This year’s reflection is paired with a historic 1876 print titled The Flag That Has Waved One Hundred Years—A Scene on the Morning of the Fourth Day of July 1876. Created during America’s centennial year by Dominique C. Fabronius and published in Philadelphia, the print shows a group of people looking upward as they raise the American flag. In the background stands the U.S. Capitol.
The image captures a moment of national remembrance at the 100-year mark of the country’s history. The title itself points to a young nation looking back: “the flag that has waved one hundred years.” Now, as America reaches 250 years, the image offers a meaningful opportunity to reflect again—not only on what has been received but on what has been entrusted to us.
At Concordia University Ann Arbor, freedom is not only a civic idea. It is also connected to vocation. As a Lutheran higher education community, CUAA is committed to helping learners develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world. That mission shapes how we understand learning, leadership, citizenship and care for others.
Freedom gives us room to pursue knowledge, worship, speak, gather, serve and grow. It also asks something of us. It calls us to use our God-given gifts faithfully. It calls us to see the dignity of our neighbors. It calls us to build communities marked by compassion, integrity and hope.
Across CUAA, learners are preparing for lives of purpose in many fields. Future healthcare professionals are learning to care for the whole person with clinical skill and compassion. Future educators are preparing to shape classrooms where children can grow in confidence and understanding. Future leaders, servants and neighbors are being formed to meet the needs of the world with courage and faith.
Independence Day is a celebration, but it can also be a prayerful pause. We remember those who have sacrificed for our country. We give thanks for the communities that shape us. We acknowledge that the work of serving others continues. And above all, we rest in the hope we have in Christ, whose grace gives us courage to love and serve in every season.
From all of us at Concordia University Ann Arbor, happy Independence Day. May America’s 250th birthday be a time of gratitude, reflection and renewed commitment to faithful service.
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Concordia University Ann Arbor is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
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