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[The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.]

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[The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.]

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[The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] [The man is shown in the church, holding a Bible and a Bible in his hand.] Heavenly Father that something will be said or done that will sink in our hearts, come out and grow in our everyday lives. We pray for the one that is to break the bread of

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life. Pray for your spirit upon this church. In Jesus' name, amen. [Music] ♪ After an hour ♪ ♪ And he glided, glided, glided ♪

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♪ Through the night and the light ♪ ♪ From the walls, from the mountains ♪ ♪ To the prairies, to the ocean ♪ ♪ Right before God was born ♪

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♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪ ♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪

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♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ And have I longed ♪ ♪ That each night Earth ♪ ♪ I have guided ♪

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♪ To a time with no light ♪ ♪ From the walls ♪ ♪ From the mountains ♪ ♪ To the prairies ♪

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♪ To the ocean ♪ ♪ Life is long ♪ ♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪

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♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪ Our scripture lesson this morning comes from Leviticus 25, verses 8 through 16. And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of the year unto thee, seven times seven years; and

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the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, the day of atonement shall you make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall holler the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto

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all the inhabitants thereof. It shall be a jubilee unto you, and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you.

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Ye shall not so, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee. It shall be holy unto you.

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You shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of the jubilee, ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell art unto thy neighbor, or buy art of thy neighbor's hand, ye shall not oppress one another.

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According to the number of years after the Jubilee, thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and accordingly unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee. According to the multitude of the years, thou shalt increase the price thereof. And according to the fewest of years thou shalt diminish the price of it.

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For according to the number of the years of the fruits, doth ye shall sell unto thee. Thus is the reading. This is our time of prayer together. upon you now to come forth as we gather around the altar to commune with the Heavenly Father.

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Let us pray. Eternal God, our gracious Heavenly Father, in whom we live, move, and have being, we We praise your name for your mighty acts to all the children of men. We give you humble thanks for the gift of this day, for the privilege which is granted

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us to assemble in your house to worship you in the spirit of truth and in the beauty of holiness. We thank you for the significance of this day in the life of our country. We bless your name for our beloved country, for this America of ours, for what you have

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done in manifesting your grace to this nation. We pray that you would help us on this birthday celebration to rededicate ourselves to those principles which were enunciated by the founding fathers, those principles which are deeply rooted in your divine will.

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us as your people here at Ebenezer, lead us in the way that you would have us go, grant unto us your spirit in the songs we sing and the words we speak. We know, O God, that you are able to do all things and that nothing is hidden from you. Before you all hearts are open.

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You know the yearning of our hearts, and so we pray that you would visit each one of us with your tender mercy. In the midst of our perplexities, grant unto us your shining light

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that we might have clear sense of direction. In the midst of our bereavement, we pray for your comforting love. And in the midst, oh God, of the burdens we bear,

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We thank you that you are always there to help us lift them and to be our companion, walking with us every step of the way. Have mercy upon those who are suffering from the frailties of human flesh, for those who are confused in mind. For those who are deprived because of sickness and disease from worshipping

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with us, some in hospitals, some in homes, visit them, we pray, with your finger of healing power. And then we would ask for the leadership of your spirit in the quest for peace. Not Not only do we pray for America, but for all of the nations of the world. We long for the day when men shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into

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pruning hooks and study war no more. Help us, O God, to be workers together with you toward that day when your kingdom will come in its fullness. And so we pray thy kingdom come, make us agents for the coming of that kingdom. We ask it in the strong and perfect name of Jesus Christ

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our Savior and our Lord. Amen. [Music] [Music] In the morning, when I rise. In the mornin' when I rise. In the mornin' when I rise.

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♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ You make up all this world ♪

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♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Dark midnight was my cry ♪ ♪ Dark midnight was my cry ♪ ♪ Dark midnight was my cry ♪

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Give me Jesus Give me Jesus Give me Jesus Give me of all this world

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Give me Jesus Just about the break of day Just about the break of day Just about the break of day

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♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Give me Jesus ♪ ♪ Give me of all this world ♪

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♪ Give me Jesus ♪ [Music] ♪ You're the love of all this world ♪ ♪ Give me Jesus ♪

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♪ Jesus ♪ - Amen. (piano music) ♪ God gave me a song ♪

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♪ That the angel cannot see ♪ ♪ I've been washed in the blood ♪ ♪ Of the crucified one ♪ ♪ I've been redeemed ♪

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♪ The Lord has been so good to me ♪ ♪ He opened doors I could not see ♪ ♪ Sometimes when I am feeling low ♪ No one to care, nowhere to go.

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My father is rich, he has gifts and lands. He holds the power of the world in his hands. God gave me a song that the angels cannot sing. I've been washed in the blood of the crucified one.

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I've been redeemed. The Lord has been so good to me. He opened doors I could not see. Sometimes when I am feeling low, no one to care, nowhere to go.

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My Father is rich in houses and lands. ♪ He holds the power of the world in his hands ♪ ♪ Power ♪ ♪ God has the power in his hands ♪

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♪ Power ♪ ♪ He has the power in his hands ♪ ♪ Power ♪ ♪ He made the leaves and the trees ♪

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♪ Power ♪ ♪ He made the birds and the bees ♪ ♪ Power ♪ ♪ God made the ocean and the sea ♪

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♪ Power ♪ ♪ God made you and me ♪ ♪ Power ♪ ♪ He has the power in his hands ♪

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♪ Power ♪ ♪ Power of the world in his hands ♪ ♪ Power of the world in his hands ♪ ♪ Power of the world in his hands ♪

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♪ Power of the world in his hands ♪ ♪ Power of the world in his hands ♪ ♪ Power ♪ ♪ Oh, God gave me a son ♪

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In the book of Leviticus, the 25th chapter and the 10th verse are the words of our text. liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof. Let freedom ring. In in the Tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

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is the Liberty Bell, which was rung July the 8th, 1776, to celebrate the occasion of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence, conceived by the founding fathers of this nation and adopted in its final form July 4th, 1776.

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So today is America's birthday. We celebrate 206 years of our history. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of the freedom which the Declaration of Independence enunciates. that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable

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rights, those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The strange thing, however, is that the Liberty Bell in the Tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia is cracked. There have been three bells there from time to time, and each one of them has cracked.

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The first bell was made in London in 1751 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, but was cracked by a stroke of the clapper while its tone was being tested. This bell contained the biblical inscription, which is the focus of the message today. proclaim liberty throughout the land

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unto all the inhabitants thereof. But this bell could not ring because of the fact that it was cracked. freedom did not ring forth fully throughout the land. An attempt was made to repair the bell after it cracked. It was recast in Philadelphia one and one

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ounces of American copper added to each pound of original metal in order to make the bell less brittle but this second bell was defective also it could not ring and so it had to be recast also. The third bell was hung in the Statehouse Tower July on June the 7th 1753 having been recast with successful results and

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And this is the bell that is there today. Several years ago, with my family, when we were on vacation, we visited Independence Hall, and we had the privilege of seeing the bell, as possibly many of you have. And as you observe it, it is cracked.

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For a while that bell was rung on every festival and anniversary, but it cracked July 8th in 1835. It was repaired in 1846 and cracked again beyond repair repair, so that the Liberty Bell, which hangs in the vestibule of the tower of Independence

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Hall, a symbol of the freedom of our nation, is cracked. And it appears to me that the crack in the Liberty Bell has symbolic meaning for our nation. It has a message for us that we need to consider as we celebrate the birthday of our beloved

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country. Let freedom ring. The inscription on this bell is from God's eternal word. Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.

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Let freedom ring. You see, this particular word which is inscribed on that bell is a word which is associated with an event called Jubilee. You see, Jubilee is a freedom celebration in the life of the ancient Hebrews.

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We are told that it occurred in the 50th year. Jubilee is a time when slaves are liberated and mortgaged property is redeemed. It is a time when those who are separated and alienated because of brokenness are reconciled. In fact, it was a time when the nation received a new birth of freedom.

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It was a time of new beginnings. It was a time of celebration, a time to rejoice, to be glad, because liberation was proclaimed in word and deed. That was liberty for the captive.

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Prisoners were released. Those who were encumbered with heavy debts had their debts forgiven. And so it was in fact a day of liberation. So that Liberty Bell, which I have mentioned, which is designed as a symbol of freedom,

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the God-given birthright of every person is a bell which ought to ring out clearly and loudly. For the bell, you see, is designed as a symbol of liberty. That's why we call it the Liberty Bell.

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to proclaim to all of the inhabitants of the land freedom, freedom, proclaim liberty throughout the land. Well the bell is cracked. Could it be that the bell is cracked, it cracked on the first occasion because while it was

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designed to sound the note of liberty throughout the land to all of the inhabitants of the land. We note that those who were the signers of the proclamation known as the Declaration of independence, that those who were the framers, those who wrote the document, those who signed

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the document, had slaves. So the bell was cracked. a time, of course, to sound forth a note of freedom, and while we can thank God that we are a nation that presents to the peoples of this world an invitation, saying, "Give

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me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the tempest-tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

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That's the blessed invitation that is sent forth as we have the Statue of Liberty there New York Harbor. What a wonderful invitation this is and thousands upon thousands have accepted that invitation so that America is known as a place of freedom, the melting pot of many peoples, molded into one and so we call it these

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United States. And as we celebrate 206 years of our history, we can thank God that he has wonderfully blessed us as a nation. We can thank him for the liberties that we prize, freedom of religion, freedom from what we say, freedom from fear, freedom of speech, the freedom really for every person to be what God made you to be,

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liberty throughout all the land. Let freedom ring. Let it ring out to every person. Let freedom ring. Well, we can speak a great deal about the benefits of freedom. Freedom means the right to deliberate, to weigh possibilities. Freedom is the right to decide, the right to decide one's own destiny. Freedom is the right to respond to life, to respond according

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to one's ability. Freedom, you see, is to overcome brokenness, to overcome that crack which is in the Liberty Bell. How can we be free? John F. Kennedy in a speech which he had prepared to be delivered in Dallas

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when he met his death, speech entitled "We are Watchmen on the Walls of Freedom" said, "We asked to be worthy of our power and responsibility that we may exercise our strength and wisdom and restraint

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and that we may achieve in our time for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. And so, you see, it is written that except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

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To be free is to follow this divine order. This order that comes to proclaim liberty means that somehow freedom involves the participant of the nation in a special kind of enterprise. And as we look, we can see, as we thank God for all of the achievements, for all that

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has gone on, we can see that there are some flaws, for the bell is cracked. We sing God mend thine every flaw, America God mend thine every flaw. This is important, God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law.

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So there are some flaws that must be mended. We read in our paper that while we boast of our liberty, that there are still certain flaws, there are problems for we still have the poor with us.

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And we have our programs, and yet the welfare programs are being cut. And there seems to be a growing insensitivity to the needs of the poor.

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We talk about the right to work, the right of every person to work, and yet when we look even in our morning paper, we see why there are possibly five to 7%,

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and some figures go up to 10% when it comes to non-blacks that are unemployed, but when it comes to blacks, there are up to 30% of black youth unemployed. This is still a challenge.

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We still have within our borders the Indian. He's sort of the forgotten person. He was here before the nation was conceived and yet somehow when you see the conditions of Indians today in this country, it makes us aware of the fact that the Liberty Bell is cracked. It's cracked. And yet the word sounds forth, let freedom ring throughout the land for every inhabitant, every inhabitant. Just this month, past month, June 30th, ERA went down the drain, Equal Rights Amendment, went down the drain. Freedom, really, just to accept women as equal in the 20th century.

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Let freedom ring, not just for men. All men created equal, yes, but all people created equal. Well let freedom ring for men, yes, but for women also. For men and women, yes, but for boys and girls, for every person made in the image of God, let freedom ring.

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Let freedom ring. But you see, freedom cannot ring forth unless somehow there is a recasting of the bell. It can ring in its present form,

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it has to be recast, it's cracked as it is, there has to be a new freedom bell made and somehow what we need is what Lincoln talked about, we need a new birth of freedom, new birth of freedom.

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And this new birth of freedom has to come from the source of all freedom, from God. God is the source of freedom. It is God who says this is to be the year of Jubilee. It's God who says that every person is to be free and that freedom is in me. and he expresses it in the life of his only begotten son who comes to

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Natharas and he stands at the pulpit and he opens the book and he begins to read and he says the Spirit of the Lord God Almighty is upon me because he has anointed me he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor the poor the poor The poor, yes, good news to the poor, to the dejected, to the destitute, to the poor, yes,

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he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor and to open the prison doors for those who are prisoners of fear, to those who are prisoners even of themselves, he has sent me to open prison doors and to recover the sight of the blind. He has sent me to announce that this is the year of the Lord right now. Freedom is not something that is

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to be relegated into some future in the far off by and by, but freedom is to be a present possession, a present possession, and it comes in our relationship to God. It is God who makes us free. And the one who makes us free is the one who ascends the mountain, that mount called Calvary. And he dies there for you and for me. Then he

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says to us by his death, by his word, and by his deed, let freedom ring. In other words you ought to celebrate our life in him. Let it ring in our hearts, let joy bells ring in your heart, let freedom ring today, let freedom ring in every heart, let the bells of freedom ring forth in the lives of all of the peoples of the world. Let freedom ring

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from every mountainside, from the White House to the Statehouse and to every house within the nation. Let freedom ring. Thanks be to God who gives us this freedom to be, to break the chains of bondage and to exercise that freedom which comes only through Jesus Christ. As we come to our time of invitation, time

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of commitment, we ask you to accept that freedom. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, you're in bondage. The Liberty Bell can't sound in your life. We ask that you would come now. [ Music ]

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Ask as you come now. [music] While I sing, "His eye is on the sparrow," we ask that you would come.

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[music] His eye is on the sparrow. [Music] The doors of the church are open.

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[Music] Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart feel lonely and long for heaven and home

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When Jesus is my potion, My constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow And I know he watches me

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His eye is on the sparrow And I know he watches me Whenever I am tempted Whenever clouds arise

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♪ When song give place to sighing ♪ ♪ When hope within me dies ♪ ♪ I draw the closer to him ♪ ♪ Closer to him ♪

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♪ From care he sets me free ♪ ♪ His eye is on the sparrow ♪ ♪ Is on the sparrow ♪ ♪ And I know he watches me ♪

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♪ His eye is on the sparrow ♪ ♪ On the sparrow ♪ ♪ And I know ♪ ♪ He watches me ♪

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♪ I sing ♪ ♪ Because I'm happy ♪ ♪ I sing ♪ ♪ Because I'm free ♪

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♪ For his eye is on the sparrow ♪ ♪ Is on the sparrow ♪ ♪ And I know he watches me ♪ Let's all join in that chorus.

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♪ I sing ♪ [Music] [ Silence ]