Lebanon – hymnsandbooks

A hymn published in 1997 still pertinent in a world torn by war and carnage – with tune by John Kleinheksel

Lives like yours and mine, contorted – as we live in a world contorted by war and hatred, during a week remembering Hamas action of 7th October 2023 and living with Israel’s response, together with war and carnage in so many places on our planet.

1 Lives like yours and mine, contorted:
Genocide has been reported,
Wrong seems right, it's all distorted;
Christ! What would you do?

2 Seeing babies starving, bleeding,
Hearing mothers' desperate pleading,
Would you wring your hands, unheeding?
Christ! What would you do?

3 Watching buildings ruined, burning,
Hearing tank tracks rumble, churning,
Would you walk on by, not turning?
Christ! What would you do?

4 Sensing fear that chills the city,
Families threatened without pity,
Would you pray your prayers, so pretty?
Christ! What would you do?

5 We have seen it, all the sorrow,
We will see the same tomorrow,
Must this pattern always follow?
Christ! What should we do?

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 1997 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@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. Originally published in Blinded by the Dazzle https://stainer.co.uk/shop/b840/
Metre: 8 8 8 5
Tune: THERE’S NO GREATER NAME THAN JESUS (Complete Mission Praise)

John R. Kleinheksel Sr has composed the following tune which may be used with acknowledgement.
This tune is now to be acknowledged as Copyright Stainer & Bell Ltd address as for the text.
An audio file of the tune is at the link below.

Extravagant horror – a world at war with itself

Extravagant horror, beyond our conceiving,

the rain of this terror confounds our believing,

the thunder, war’s lightning, once deaf’ning, then blinding,

has sculpt human madness, to hell we are sliding.

Humanity harbours such hidden aggression,

the need to reap vengeance to counter oppression,

the screams of the innocent, tears of depression,

white noise of the agony, warfare’s obsession.

And now hope is lost, there is no compensation,

no sense of relief for each people, each nation,

some milit’ry folk will admire each citation

while leaving the children in wild conflagration.

Cedars of Lebanon – hope for Beirut, and the world in a TIME of COVID-19

Fred Kaan, (1929–2009) a prolific hymn writer and ecumenist once compiled a book of hymns entitled Planting Seeds and Growing Trees. It was based on the Biblical image that that those who risk planting seeds are planting hope for the future in bleak situations. A key text began:

Were the world to end tomorrow,
would we plant a tree today?
Would we till the soil of loving,
kneel to work and rise to pray? Fred Kaan (1929-2009) © 1989 Stainer & Bell Ltd

In the current situation of COVID-19 and the devastating explosion in Beirut (4th August 2020) the following hymn, written for a tree planting, came to mind:

Cedars of Lebanon, oaks of old England,*
elegant poplars along country roads,
trees mark a heritage, hope for the future,
holding our history and bearing our loads.

So at each planting we mark a beginning,
partners with God at this moment in time,
turning the earth with renewed expectation
placing a marker and planting a sign.

Each tree puts value on present and future,
points to this moment of God given grace,
rings out the years through to new generations,
living and worshipping near to this place.

So God we offer our plans for your blessing,
grounded in all you have given and held,
nurture each tree and our lives through our living,
till life’s completion, till all trees are felled;

till we have found in our end our beginning,
purpose of life in the days that you send.
God give us strength for the tasks here before us,
God of our present and God without end.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948) © 2011 Stainer and Bell Ltd. (*Alt by author)

Might we go on planting seeds and growing trees, planting faith, growing hope.