Action Religion
The Agony of God
I listen to Your agony, O God;
I who am fed,
Who never yet went hungry for a day.
I see the dead,
The children starved for lack of bread;
I see and try to pray.
I listen to Your agony, O God;
I who am warm,
Who never yet have lacked a sheltered home.
In dull alarm,
The dispossessed of hut and farm
Aimless and transient roam.
I listen to Your agony, O God;
I who am strong,
With health and love and laughter in my soul.
I see a throng
Of stunted children reared in wrong
And yearn to make them whole.
I listen to Your agony, O God;
But know full well
That not until I share their bitter cry,
Earth’s pain and hell,
Can You within my spirit dwell
To bring Your kingdom nigh.
Georgia Harkness
How
In this time we turn our thoughts to how we can
touch and be touched,
love and be loved,
forgive and be forgiven,
heal and be healed,
so that the goodness of our lives is a shared blessing.
Marta M. Flanagan
One There Is
That heaviest weight of all to bear,
Inalienable weight of care. . .
God, harden me against myself,
This coward with pathetic voice
Who craves for ease, and rest and joys:
Myself, arch traitor to myself,
My hollowest friend, my deadliest foe,
My clog whatever road to go.
Now You alone can curb myself,
Can roll the strangling load from
me,
Break off the yoke and set me free
Christina Rosetti
For the Nation
Almighty God, giver of all good things, we thank You for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. They restore us, though we often destroy them. Heal us.
We thank You for the great resources of this nation. They make us rich, though we often exploit them. Forgive us.
We thank You for the women and the men who have made this country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them. Inspire us.
We thank You for the torch of liberty which has been lit in this land. It has drawn people here from every nation, though we have often hidden from its sight. Enlighten us.
We thank You for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again. Renew us.
Strengthen our efforts to carry on the good work here begun; to lessen the ignorance and poverty and crime; and ever to give thanks to You, our Great Companion in the struggle for fullness of life.