Faith leaders, government officials, and Americans gathered Sunday in Washington, D.C., for a day focused on prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and rededication to God as one nation in preparation of America’s 250th birthday.
Thousands of guests from all across the nation came to show their love for God and the country.
Day overview: The three pillars.
The day was broken up into three “pillars.”
Pillar one focused on “God’s providence throughout” the nation’s history; pillar two focused on “personal testimonies of God’s healing;” and pillar three focused on Americans coming together in gratitude for 250 years of freedom and ask God for his continued “blessing, guidance, and grace” for another 250 years.
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Guest speakers included Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson. Video messages from President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, were also played.
Faith leaders who spoke included Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas; actor Jonathan Roumie from the TV show Chosen and film Jesus Revolution; Jonathan Pokluda, lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco; Liberty University Chancellor Jonathan Falwell; and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, who leads Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City.
Podcaster Sadie Robertson Huff and author Eric Metaxas also spoke at the event. Video messages from evangelist Franklin Graham (son of evangelical Billy Graham), and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of New York, were also played.
There were also performances by military bands, choirs, ceremonial units, and contemporary Christian artist Chris Tomlin.
Messages from government officials:
Trump cited 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, where the Lord gives warning to Solomon in a dream after he built a temple for God in Jerusalem. God tells Solomon that He will continue to bless Israel and him as long as he remains faithful to the Lord and the people turn away from their sins and seek God, but if they do not follow God’s commands, then He would reject the temple.
“If my people, which are called by name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will hear their land.”
Hegseth recounted the trials George Washington and his soldiers had to endure in Valley Forge, but despite these hardships, “Washington did not lose faith.”
“We know the painting of him at Valley Forge – one hangs in my office – kneeling in the deep snow, his hat and sword nearby, Washington bows his head,” Hegseth said.
“Amid all the bleak nights, the loss and despair, the lack of proper support, George Washington performed a profound act. He prayed, and on this day of Rededicate 250, let us follow George Washington’s example. Let us pray as he did. Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee, and let us ask our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as Washington did on that momentous day, ‘so help us God.’ May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great Republic.”
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Johnson delivered a prayer of rededication as one nation under God, and prayed for Trump, lawmakers, service members, and all Americans, while also reflecting on God’s providence throughout American history.
“Our founders acknowledged and boldly proclaimed the self-evident truth that every single person is created in your image, and that we are endowed by you, our Creator, with our unalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Johnson said.
“… Today, here, Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God,” he continued.
“Look upon us with favor, upon your country, as we celebrate this momentous anniversary, and let your Holy Spirit descend upon this land, so that future generations will look back at this day in this present age and once again see your providential hand at work. I ask this today, Lord. I pray it, and I believe it in your holy name, in Jesus’s name, Amen.”
Scott reflected on the role that faith played in shaping the civil rights movement and America’s history, and emphasized that the country’s greatest moments have been rooted in prayer and the belief that rights come from God, not government.
“There is no way to grasp the last 250 years of America without looking to the power of prayer. You can see it at our Judeo-Christian foundation,” Scott said.
“The civil rights movement was grounded in a simple but powerful truth that every single one of us is created equal, every single one of us [was] created equal before a loving, gracious God, and our rights don’t come from the government. No, our rights come from God,” Scott said as he introduced civil rights leader Dr. Alveda Celeste King.
Messages from faith leaders:
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and lead pastor of New Season Church in Sacramento, California, was one of the speakers.
Rodriguez told the Washington Examiner he hopes to see a “spiritual reset in America,” and “an affirmation of our Judeo-Christian value system.”
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“A reminder to all Americans, that what makes us exceptional is not our military prowess, it’s not our economic bandwidth, it’s not our technological acumen, what makes us exceptional is this radical transformative, if not revolutionary, idea of God over man, and man over government,” Rodriguez said.
“The fact that we were founded at the heels of an awakening: George [Washington] with field sermons and preachings, the black robe regiment, it was definitely the outcome of an awakening, a spiritual awakening,” he continued.
“So, spiritual awakening prompted the founding fathers of our nation to emerge and repudiate all vestiges of tyranny. We want a reset. We want to affirm that reality, that DNA… We definitely want to reintroduce America to the sacred algorithm of our Judeo-Christian value system because that’s how we thrive. It’s a spiritual reset for America and we desperately need it.”
Rodrguez also explained how Christianity is the “primary reason why [the United States] is prosperous.”
“No other nation has been more responsible for the advancement of the kingdom of heaven here on earth than America. No other nation has been more responsible for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, for sending out missionaries all around the world, for filling the Earth with the glory of Christ as the waters covered the sea as the United States of America,” Rodriguez said.
“God has blessed this nation. It’s because of that,” he continued.
“Christianity is not just part of who we are, it really undergirds our success and our prosperity. That’s why 250 years later, we want to double down on that for generations to come. I do believe what’s happening with generation Z males, with Bible sales in America, with what’s happening in universities both Christian and secular across America, the public sphere, Hollywood artists, politicians – we have never seen more of a public expression of our faith, at least in my generation, I’ve never seen this. It’s a beautiful thing we are experiencing. Christianity is the reason why America is still alive 250 years later.”
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Rodriguez’s message to the American church is to embrace righteousness and justice.
“My message is ‘righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, and truth, and love lead the way as attendants. Psalm 89:14.’ If we embrace righteousness and justice, truth, and love, America’s greatest days are still before us.”
