A Hymn Following Hurricane Sandy

No time for any detailed posting.... too much to do in coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. We're OK, though, and our Manse and church have just had electrical power restored, after five nights without. The roof damage to our church building has already been repaired.

We have many church members whose homes have been severely damaged.  Some of those houses will be uninhabitable for quite some time.  Others have lost their homes completely.

Here's a hymn we're going to use this Sunday in worship, written by the wonderful Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, who always seems able to come up with just the right words on very short notice.

Please attend to the copyright permissions at the bottom.

Grace and peace to you and to the people of your church, at this difficult time.

Carl

*****

When Waters Roar and Foam
LEONI 6.6.8.4 (“The God of Abraham Praise”)

When waters roar and foam and overtake the land,
When homes along the shore are filled with mud or sand,
When mighty storm winds blow and bring us to our knees,
Creator God, renew our faith in times like these.

When neighborhoods we love are lost in just a day,
When homes and lives and livelihoods are swept away,
When all that we have left are precious memories,
O Christ, give healing, strength and hope in times like these.

When help is hard to find, when others need a hand,
When people suffer, tired and cold, throughout the land,
May we your church respond to struggling neighbors’ needs;
O Spirit, teach us how to love in times like these.


Biblical references: Psalm 46, 1 Corinthians 13
Tune: Hebrew melody adaptation by Thomas Olivers and Meyer Lyon, 1770.
Text: Copyright © 2012 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net Web site: www.carolynshymns.com

Permission is given for free use of this hymn to churches that support Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and/or Church World Service.