They Met to Read the Bible

ST. CHRISTOPHER 7.6.8.6.8.6.8.6 ("Beneath the Cross of Jesus")

They met to read the Bible, they gathered for a prayer,
They worshiped God and shared with friends and welcomed strangers there.
They went to church to speak of love, to celebrate God’s grace.
O Lord, we tremble when we hear what happened in that place.

O God of love and justice, we thank you for the nine.
They served in their communities and made the world more kind.
They preached and sang and coached and taught, and cared for children, too.
They blessed your church and blessed your world with gifts they used for you.

We grieve a wounded culture where fear and terror thrive,
Where some hate others for their race and guns are glorified.
We grieve for sons and daughters lost, for grandmas who are gone.
O God, we cry with broken hearts: this can’t continue on!

God, may we keep on sowing the seeds of justice here,
Till guns are silent, people sing, and hope replaces fear.
May seeds of understanding grow and flourish all our days.
May justice, love and mercy be the banner that we raise.
 
View the hymn with music HERE. 
Tune: Frederick Charles Maker, 1881
Text: Copyright © 2015 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com
Permission is given for free use by local churches and in ecumenical services.