Creator and Creating God -

we hear of wars and insurrections

  and it is hard not to be terrified.

Nations rise against nations,

kingdoms against kingdoms;

famines and floods sweep many away,

  and it is hard not to be terrified.

People are arrested and persecuted,

  and it is hard not to be terrified for ourselves 

  and for the sojourners among us

  and for our country.

We believe you are coming

to judge the world with righteousness

and the people with equity,

  and we long for that day to come.

We build houses and believe that we will live in them.

We plant gardens and expect to eat the vegetables. (1)

We welcome the wolf and the lamb, the lion and the ox,

  as we all feast together at your table 

  with joy and thanksgiving and praise.

Be present at our table, Lord..... 

(1) Isaiah says we will bear children not for calamity but for blessing by the Lord. As I look at the state of the world today – from climate and environmental issues to breakdown in cultural and governmental norms – I’m not sure I’m comfortable going that far. Houses and gardens are one thing, children are something different altogether.

 

Love in the Peaceable Kingdom, Love in the Kingdom of Peace 

                          

 

                                    John August Swanson

                                     

 

                                          Edward Hicks