Giver of life, of breath, of bread - Doug Constable
Giver of life, of breath, of bread,
from whose self-giving souls are fed,
from whom we learn the priceless worth
of every creature born on earth:
hear the poor prayers of aching hearts
weighed down by conscience-piercing darts;
for You command Your love’s good will:
no ifs no buts, Thou shalt not kill.
Self-sacrificing Christ, you grieve
both for the dead and folks who leave
their hearts at home, who take up guns,
who let bombs fall on helpless ones.
Spirit, whose strength springs fresh from High,
comfort all victims marked to die;
relieve each soul found in distress;
curb all who’d rather curse than bless.
On those, unmoved by war’s alarms,
who profit by the sale of arms,
drop fires of purging faith, to burn
all fears to ash in love’s safe urn.
Merciful God, Beginning, End,
Saviour-Redeemer, sinner’s friend,
war-ending Spirit, breathing peace:
weep with us till death-dealing cease ...
© Doug Constable 17.9 to 15.6.2024
Suggested tune: RIVAULX
Thank you Doug - sadly needful
Tag: guns
Recreational Violence – Jim Burklo reflects on the shooting of Donald Trump
We live in times of crime and violence, aka – We live in sharp infested waters
We live in times of crime and violence
where guns and knives would seem to rule;
incarceration offers respite,
is prison now the only school?
We learn so slowly in this era,
how we should nurture love and care.
For still we model cold derision,
with disrespect, derisive stare.
Our politicians rage and stumble,
as racists bawl across the street,
then disagreements twist and tangle,
with language coarse and indiscreet.
God give us grace and apt discretion,
the skill of choosing words that skirt
around each tempting confrontation,
give words that calm instead of hurt.
Words (including alternatives below) © 2019 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, http://www.stainer.co.uk.
Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Tune: ST CLEMENT (Scholefield)
Metre 9.8.9.8
The original first verse of this text is as follows and can be used if wished:
We live in sharp infested waters,
the law of Cain would seem to rule,
incarceration offers respite,
is prison now the only school?
In the second stanza, first line ‘era’ can be replaced with ‘country’.
At a time when knife and gun crime are rife this text may be seen to be pertinent either as a poem or a hymn.
hymnsandbooks 