blog-maryBlog - Joyful Curmudgeon - Blog
A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


THE GOD OF THE LIVING – 23 November 2008
By Mary T. Hoffman

I found this poem in a book of religious poetry published in 1926. John Ellerton, a hymn writer, was born in England 16 December 1826 and died 15 June 1893.

THE GOD OF THE LIVING
John Ellerton
(16 December 1826–15 June 1893)

God of the living, in whose eyes
Unveiled thy whole creation lies!
All souls are thine; we must not say
That those are dead who pass away;
From this our world of flesh set free;
We know them living unto thee.

Released from earthly toil and strife,
With thee is hidden still their life;
Thine are their thoughts, their words, their powers,
All thine, and yet most truly ours:
For well we know, where'er they be,
Our dead are living unto thee.

Not spilt like water on the ground,
Not wrapt in dreamless sleep profound,
Not wandering in unknown despair
Beyond thy voice, thine arm, thy care;
Not left to lie like fallen tree;
Not dead, but living unto thee.

O Breather into man of breath!
O Holder of the keys of death!
O Giver of the Life within!
Save us from death, the death of sin;
That body, soul, and spirit be
Forever living unto thee!

For a large collection of poems and stories, visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/poetrydir.html

Go on to: The Carnivores’ Myth – 24 November 2008
Return to: Diet and Sex – 22 November 2008
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