#208: Happy Birthday Bud Key

For some reason, I'm guessing because Frances is the female sound-alike name...or maybe "Francis" sounds a bit too formal, men born since the 1920s (maybe earlier) with the name Francis are usually called "Frank" or "Bud" by their friends and relatives.

In any event, Francis Scott Key was born August 1, 1779 ("back in the day" when using all three of a person's names was popular). I'm guessing that most Americans know that he wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" in 1814 while watching Fort McHenry being shelled by a British gunboat during the War of 1812; although, these days that may be a brash assumption to make. Except for those of us who read The One Year Book of Christian History or do research for religious magazines, most folks probably don't know he was a devoted Christian and presided over a meeting of the American Sunday School Union in 1830 that set a goal of establishing Sunday schools in the towns and villages of the Mississippi Valley region that covered about 1.3 million square miles. The effort, by the way, was successful but took 50 years instead of the ambitious 2 the original plan anticipated.

The tune to "The Star Spangled Banner", according to Wikipedia, was the official song of the Anacreontic Society that was designed to praise music, but had lots of lyrics that caused it to be known and become popular as a "drinking song." Even if you knew Key wrote the SSB, did you know that he also wrote the hymn, "Lord With Glowing Heart I'd Praise You?" There's an interesting article at [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1995i/Mosher.html] if you have a hankering or your interest is piqued to check out the hymn and some things about it.

My brain sees all sorts of twists and cul-de-sacs to run into with comments on our national anthem being connected with a drinking song, but rather than run completely down hill, I'll simply bring us back to celebrating the Lord's Providence in raising up one of His own for just such a time in American history as was needed at the time. As 1 Samuel 2:30 says in part, "...for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed"...even as part of that great cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 talks about, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
So, America...this Bud's for you!
Got Amazing Grace?