Celebrating First Landing
On April 29th, 1607, a nation was born. Travel-weary Englishmen landed at Cape Henry on the shores of Virginia and lay the foundation for what would become the most powerful country the world has ever seen. Act 1, scene 1 of the drama that was to be the United States unfolded that day at Cape Henry, and sparked the legacy of Godliness on American shores.
America's destiny and purpose were sealed with that cross at Cape Henry. All that would follow in our nation's growth hinged on the single proclamation that this land belonged to Jesus Christ.
In the Mayflower Compact of 1620, the Pilgrims reaffirmed the mission set forth by the original Virginia settlers. "They said ‘we have come here, first of all for the glory of God. Secondly, for the advancement of the Christian faith,’” said Rev. Eddie Hyatt, an author and historian. “We could say they were missionaries. They weren’t just running from something.”
The Puritans carried the Cape Henry legacy further. On the deck of the Arbella, halfway between England and Cape Cod, leader John Winthrop declared, "We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world."
"They were going to America to live out a new kind of government and Christianity, where people governed themselves,” said Hyatt. "They didn’t depend on an outward government. They would depend primarily on governing themselves according to Christian principles.”
More than 100 years later, as America set off on her own course towards independence, the Godly foundations laid in Virginia established the character of our Revolution.
"Before God, I believe the hour has come," said John Adams of the Revolution. "My judgment approves this measure and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, all that I am and all that I hope in this life I am now ready to stake upon it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now and independence forever."
George Washington's pure, Christian heart, Benjamin Franklin's call to prayer, and John Adams' reverence for the will of God symbolize the undying commitment of our Founding Fathers to the creation of a nation which would glorify God. The American character was born in Scripture and nurtured by the Holy Spirit. Yet today, our national heritage is under siege.
Bishop James Madison warned of such a risk in 1795: "The moment that religion, the pure and undefiled religion, loses its influence over our hearts, from that fatal moment, farewell to public and private happiness. Farewell--a long farewell--to virtue, to patriotism, to liberty."
Four hundred years have passed since America was first conceived at Cape Henry, and respect for our roots is growing cold. Yet one undeniable fact still remains. At its core, the United States of America is a Christian nation.
