"A Song of Peace" ELW 887
The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
"A Hymn of Peace" by Lloyd Stone (1912-1992/3,Stanzas 1-2 and Georgia Harkness, Stanzas 3-4 & Stanzas 3-5
1. This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my ho ly shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
2. My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.
3. This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a prayer that peace transcends in every place;
and yet I pray for my beloved country --
the reassurance of continued grace:
Lord, help us find our one-ness in the Savior,
in spite of differences of age and race.
4. May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.
5. This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done.
-------I have a T-shirt that says "Jesus loves you. But I'm his favorite." That all too often seems to be the attitude of many Americans about this wonderful, remarkable country of ours. The United States seems often to be equated with ancient biblical Israel--we are the "shining light on the hill," an example to the rest of the world. As citizens we are all too often guilty of a kind of nation-olatry, twisting country and God together in an inseparable mix of devotion and allegiance. From this vantage point it is hard for some to see the faults and mistakes we have made and continue to make.
This hymn would seem timely in this hyper-charged political year. As I write these thoughts at the end of March, it is difficult to imagine what the political scene will be like by the end of April when you are reading them. During my ministry I often chose this hymn for the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July as an antidote to the narrowly nationalistic rhetoric that sometimes surrounds that holiday. This year in particular I find it important to be reminded of the fact that we are just one nation among many. It so simply says we love our country as well we should and (not but) we celebrate others' love of their countries too. We all stand under the authority and judgement of God as individuals and as nations. Peace rather than power and dominance is the hope and dream to guide us.
God of all the nations, teach us to live as members of the family of nations and use our political power to seek peace for all nations. Amen.
Tim Kellgren
Retired, Elim Lutheran Church, Petaluma, Calif.
Master of Divinity , 1971
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