War and Peace

Gratitude to Shirley for reminding me today, this Good Friday, of the hymn, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. it has long been one of my favourite hymnal melodies.

and so it seems appropriate to have this extract from the Atonement OST, Elegy for Dunkirk, as an accompaniment to moments of lamentation in an Easter week marking five years too long of war in Iraq and remembering the thousands of lives lost, be they American, British, Iraqi. one life sacrificed to armed conflict is one life too many and we need forgiveness for we know exactly what we do. so many families coping without their loved ones for months on end, and so many families who will never get them back. it is hard to contemplate the hope of Easter in the face of so much loss and fear. and yet somehow we have to keep on hoping...

the following prayer and the words of that wonderful hymn go out to my dear friend Gar who is looking after his two children while his wonderful Autumn is in Iraq acting as a military chaplain, and to Chris... my dear brother by grace. when we lose sight of hope may we remember to interpret ourselves by love... and forgiveness...


::

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word
Rise up and follow thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!
Interpreted by love!

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.
The beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm!
O still small voice of calm!

...

May the force of life that cannot be stopped, who has given us a new birth by water and the spirit, and reminded us that we live forgiven and renewed, give us the courage and strength to face each new day without fear. Amen.*

peace to you and yours this Eastertime...

LB,x

* prayer written by Kate Bradsen for use during the baptismal liturgy of an all night vigil in which i am taking part from Saturday night through to the Easter dawn out in the desert.