A new Thanksgiving hymn

Lord, we’re grateful for Your goodness.
We give You thanks.
For Your grace and loving kindness,
we give you thanks.
For protection while we slumber
and for blessings without number,
autumn, winter, spring and summer,
we give You thanks.

Lord, we’re grateful for our nation.
We give You thanks.
For the beauty of creation,
we give You thanks.
For Your church and for our parish,
family, friends and those we cherish,
and Your love that cannot perish,
we give You thanks.

Lord, we’re grateful You’re forgiving.
We give You thanks.
For our lives well worth the living,
we give You thanks.
For the promise of forever
and a bond that none can sever.
Knowing You will fail us never,
we give You thanks.

*The above lyrics can be sung to the tune for “All Through the Night.”

Thanking God for our jobs

For our jobs we’re grateful, Father.
Full time work is hard to find.
We are thankful for a paycheck
on this weekend we unwind.
Labor Day provides the means to
contemplate how we are blessed.
Having meaningful employment
helps define these days of rest.

In our labor and our leisure,
we have cause to give Thee praise
even when we’re worn out working
or too stressed to simply laze.
God, we’re grateful for the means to
use our minds and hearts and hands
as we leave our homes each morning
for the tasks our jobs demand.

(The above poem can be sung to the tune for “Ode to Joy.”)

Focusing on God instead of Ferguson, Missouri

With gratitude
we raise our hands toward Heaven
in praise and worship of the God we serve.
We have been blessed
with mercies beyond number.
God’s faithfulness exceeds what we deserve.
With hands held high,
we reach to One who loves us
much like a child who longs to be embraced.

With gratitude
we raise our hands toward Heaven
convinced our world is governed by God’s plan.
When violence
disrupts the peace we pray for,
when prejudice and fear divide our land,
with hands held high
submitting to God’s purpose,
we gratefully declare that God is love.

With gratitude
we raise our hands toward Heaven
acknowledging the One who’s in control.
We humbly bow
before our Lord and Maker
relinquishing our bodies, minds and souls.
With hands held high, we gratefully surrender
to One who works all things for God’s own good.

tune: FINLANDIA

A new Easter hymn; The Gospel According to Dandelions

We are Resurrection People
A new Easter hymn

We are resurrection people
made alive through Easter faith
for the risen Christ has freed us
from the power of the grave.
Eden’s curse has been rescinded.
Death’s defeated once for all.
Since the serpent’s sting is thwarted,
we’ve no fear to see him crawl.

We are resurrection people
made alive through Easter hope.
Though we grieve when loved ones leave us,
Jesus’ victory helps us cope.
When we’re sidelined by some sadness,
or beset when dreams have died,
we don’t need to be despairing,
for Christ’s grave stands open wide.

We are resurrection people
made alive through Easter love.
Christ has given us his Spirit
mindful of the tests we have.
He who gave the great commandment,
gives the means for us to live
with compassion, kind and caring,
quick to help and to forgive.

We are resurrection people
marked by faith and hope and love.
Christ is risen! Christ is reigning
from his throne in Heav’n above.
We need never be discouraged
knowing he is on our side
as we celebrate his vict’ry
through this blessed Eastertide.

(The above can be sung to the tune for “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”)

The Gospel According to a Dandelion
Easter lessons from a hated weed.

Dandelions grow like weeds.
They multiply then go to seed.
But though they die and fly away,
it’s clear they live again.

While Easter lilies claim top perch
when palms give way to blooms at church,
it seems that dandelions should
be front and center, too.

For after all, as St. Paul said,
we grieve for ones who are now dead.
But not as those who have no hope
since death has lost its sting.