Tuesday 29 November 2022
The sun may set,
in blood red,
forecasting the inevitable storms;
still God provides all we need each day.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
2 Timothy 2:1
You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…
Words of Grace For Today
The storms of life pound the shores of our hearts and minds, eroding more and more from our courage, hope, and love.
In Advent, with so many commands to remain attentive!, remain awake! be alert!, keep watch! we may well feel we must renew our strength, our faith, our courage, our hope, and our love.
Whether years have taught us our not, we simply cannot on our own. The storms have stolen too much for us to rebuild our ‘little home of courage, hope and love’ where there is no more a shore at all as the ocean of chaos has overrun our lives.
So we cry to God without words and with many words, and also in the words of Martin Buchholz’s hymn Bleib bei uns:
1) Du siehst die Wege, die wir gehen.
Was uns bewegt, hast du erkannt.
Auch wenn wir selbst uns nicht verstehen,
hältst du uns fest in deiner Hand.
Ref.: Bleib bei uns! Bleib bei uns
bei Tag und Nacht.
Bleib bei uns! Bleib bei uns,
hab auf uns Acht!
2) Du siehst, was wir nicht mehr durchschauen.
Auch wenn der Sturm sich noch nicht legt,
bist du die Kraft, der wir vertrauen,
bist du die Liebe, die uns trägt.
3) Du bist der Geist, der uns beflügelt.
Das Feuer, das uns neu entfacht.
Du liebst das Leben ungezügelt.
Und wir vertraun auf deine Macht.
Text und Melodie: Martin Buchholz (2018) CCLI-Nr.: 7128836
Google translate refined by TL
Stay With Us
1) You see the paths we take. You already recognize what moves us.
Even when we do not understand ourselves, you hold us firmly in your hand.
Ref.: Stay with us! Stay with us day and night.
Stay with us! Stay with us, take care of us!
2) You see what we fail to understand.
Even when the storms continue on,
in your power we trust, for your love sustains us.
3) You are the spirit that inspires us.
The fire that rekindles us. You love life unbridled. For we trust alone your power.
or
Here in the last half the service
…
On our own we would fall, we would fail, we would never have a home at all.
For already now, in Christ, our home is secured for us, no matter the ‘house’ we have,
or
none.