Some months ago I heard a contemporary praise song which had “We love you, Lord” as part of a refrain. It struck me then as shallow and too easy to say without it affecting heart or action. I sat with those few words, wondering why, for me, they were not enough. A few days before this election I pulled out my partial text and listened and wrote a little more. The following is the result.
We love you, Lord,
And we lift our voices to worship you.
Take joy in what you hear, o God;
Take joy in what we sing, dear Lord.
May it be the music that you long to hear,
That satisfies your heart.
Here we bring
our joys, our thanks for all that’s gone before.
And here we lay our thorny crowns
Of hatreds at your feet, dear Lord.
May they all be covered in your, “Father, forgive”,
For we know not what we do.
We plead, Lord:
Bury strains of discord made by tongues that lie.
Bury songs that sing of triumph while your children die.
May our praises ever come to you
With lives that sing:
“You and I — we and they — All are God’s!”
We bring our hurt:
Judged and judging, measuring worth.
Our hammered hearts all long to be
Made whole in grace and mercy.
Make us into music that you long to hear —
That satisfies your heart.
We love you, Lord.
And we lift our voices to worship you.
Take joy in what you hear, o God.
Take joy in what we sing, dear Lord.
May we be the music that you long to hear,
That satisfies your heart.
Marsha Summers started attending GPPC with husband, Charlie, after his retirement from Presbyterian pastoral ministry. They both feel at home in the warm and open-hearted congregation that is GPPC, and look forward to hearing and following God in this place. Marsha is mother of 3 and doting grandmother (“Mimi”) of 3; choir member,soprano soloist, and voice teacher; active with Coming To The Table, and Richmonders for Peace in Israel and Palestine; and on very rare occasions is driven to poetry.