Asking God’s help in light of a national tragedy

Lord, have mercy!
Christ, have mercy!
God, we need Your help.

As last Sunday dawned,
Orlando awakened to a nightmare
in a nightclub.

Half a hundred lives are lost.
Scores more wounded and bleeding
need Your presence, Father.

The sun shone but darkness reigns.
Morning had broken on a shattered city
fragmented by fear and anger.
Shards of pain are evidence
of the grim reality
that terror never sleeps.

In the shadow of Disney World
(the happiest place on earth),
there is a world of hurt.
Sadness has eclipsed the light of day.
The Magic Kingdom of make-believe
is no replacement for a Kingdom of peace
that only You can bring.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Comfort the grieving.
Envelop the fearful.
Heal the broken.
Lift the fallen.
Dry the tears of a city that weeps.

May Your Church truly be Your Body embodying…
A heart that breaks for the victims.
Eyes that see hope in the midst of despair.
Arms that carry the wounded.
Hands that hold the hurting.
Legs that stand up for justice.
Feet that run after peace.

Lord, have mercy!
Christ, have mercy!
God, we need Your help!

with apologies to Francis Scott Key

O say can you see
by the dusk’s tardy light
what so proudly we glimpsed
as today was just dawning.
Whose red stripes and white stars
caused our heart’s beat to skip
as we paused to reflect
on the price tag of freedom.
Of this banner we sing
and the soldiers who died
who dared to defend
all the rights that we cherish.
O let us give praise
to the God of all nations
for this land where we live
and the life we enjoy.

Memorial Day from the Old Testament to present

Stones of remembrance
found in a graveyard
help us to focus on freedom’s cost.
Tombstones remind us
we are indebted
to those brave soldiers
whose lives were lost.

Stones of remembrance
(boulders of blessings)
were ancient Israel’s visual aid.
As God commanded,
rock piles signaled
how He brought freedom
as they obeyed.

Stones of remembrance
that mark our history
focus our gaze on Gods faithfulness.
Markers remind us
how He has led us
in times of sorrow, blessing and stress.

Stones of remembrance
serve as reminders
that God is with us guiding our way.
As we possess the land we’ve been given,
He will prove faithful
through come what may.

* the above poem is based on Joshua 4:1-8 and can be sung to the tune for “Morning Has Broken”

Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial

The Parks we know as National
are like a crown of gems.
A diadem of glory! But for who?
Yosemite and Yellowstone,
Grand Canyon, Mount Rainier
are treasures God bequeathed to me and you.

Death Valley and Denali,
Arches, Everglades and Bryce
are all members of a fam’ly we adore.
A President named Wilson
(some one hundred years ago) 
established these great parks and many more.

There’s Crater Lake, Saguaro,
Mesa Vertie and Big Bend,
Rocky Mountains, Mammoth Caves and North Cascades.
The Badlands, Zion, Grand Tetons,
Great Sand Dunes, Isle Royale.
My goodness, Uncle Sam, that’s some parade!

The NPS deserves our praise.
It’s kept this legacy
protected and pristine (deprived of scars).
So on this anniversary
of parks we know and love,
let’s celebrate this gift uniquely ours.

*http://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/celebrating-100-years-service