Although within us there are wounds, Lord Christ

Although within us there are wounds, Lord Christ, above all there is the
miracle of your mysterious presence. Thus, made lighter or even set free, we are
going with you, the Christ, from one discovery to another.

Roger Schutz 1915 -

When Morning Gilds the Skies My Heart Awaking Cries

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Let all thenearth around ring joyous with the sound:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
In heaven's eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this th'eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Katholisches Gesangbuch, ca. 1744 (trans. by Edward Caswall, 1854)

Lead us, O God, From the Sight of the Lovely Things of the World

Lead us, O God, from the sight of the lovely things of the world to the thought
of thee their Creator; and grant that delighting in the beautiful things of thy
creation we may delight in thee, the first author of beauty and the Sovereign
Lord of all thy works, blessed for evermore.

George Appleton

Lord Jesus Christ, by Your Glorious Resurrection

Lord Jesus Christ, by your glorious resurrection, in which you appeared alive
and immortal to your disciples and faithful followers, by your forty days
abiding and sweet converse, in which by many infallible proofs, speaking of things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God, you comforted them and assured them of your
actual resurrection, removing all doubt from their hearts; grant that we may be
numbered among those appointed to be witnesses to your resurrection, not only by
the words of our mouths, but by the evidence of our good works; to your honor
and glory, for you are alive and reign, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one
God for ever and ever. Amen.

Ludolf of Saxony (d. 1378)

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, With Grief and Shame Weighed Down

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor, vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever; and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.

Anonymous Latin; translated by Paul Gerhardt, 1656

Gracious God!

Gracious God,
your Anointed One, on the night before he suffered,
instituted the sacrament of his body and blood.
Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully
in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who in these holy mysteries
gives us a pledge of eternal life. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer

Lord, let us be with you, wherever you are crucified today

Lord, let us be with you, wherever you are crucified today,
Wherever the will of man crosses the will of God . . .
Where the will to use armed force crosses God's will for peace,
Where lying and corruption cross God's will for truth,
Where greed and possessiveness cross the use of God's plenty,
Where we live not for others but for ourselves,
Where ugliness and disease cross the will of God for beauty and well-being,
There let us find you, racked on the cross,
And there let us be with you, and share your pain,
And bring about with you, in union with your sacrifice,
That redemption, which you are accomplishing in your passion.

Margaret Cropper, 1886-1980

Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
God interceded.

For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

Johann Heerman, 1630

MOTHERS

Had I been Joseph's mother
I'd have prayed
protection from his brothers:
"God keep him safe;
he is so young,
so different from
the others."
Mercifully
she never knew
there would be slavery
and prison, too.

Had I been Moses' mother
I'd have wept
to keep my little son;
praying that she might forget
the babe drawn from the water
of the Nille,
had I not kept
him for her
nursing him the while?
Was he not mine
and she
but Pharaoh's daughter?

Had I been Daniel's mother
I should have pled
"Give victory!
This Babylonian horde --
godless and cruel --
don't let them take him captive
-- better dead,
Almighty Lord!"

Had I been Mary --
Oh, had I been she,
I would have cried
as never mother cried,
". . . Anything, O God,
anything . . .
but crucified!"

With such prayers
importunate
my fine wisdom
would assail
Infinite Wisdom;

God, how fortunate
Infinite Wisdom
should prevail!

Ruth Bell Graham

Creating God, Your Fingers Trace the Bold Designs

Creating God, your fingers trace the bold designs of farthest space;
let sun and moon and stars and light and what lies hidden praise your might.

Sustaining God, your hands uphold earth's mysteries known or yet untold;
let water's fragile blend with air, enabling life, proclaim your care.

Redeeming God, your arms embrace all now despised for creed or race;
let peace, descending like a dove, make known on earth your healing love.

Indwelling God, your gospel claims one family with a billion names;
let every life be touched by grace until we praise you face to face.

Jeffery Rowthorn, 1974

O Lord God When We Pray Unto Thee

O Lord God
when we pray unto thee
desiring well and meaning truly,
if thou seest a better way
to thy glory and our good,
then be thy will done,
and not ours:
as with thy dear Son
in the Garden of Agony,
even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Eric Milner-White 1884-1964

O Lord God, our Father. You are the light that can never be put out

O Lord God, our Father. You are the light than can never be put out; and now
you give us a light that shall drive away all darkness. You are love without
coldness . . . You are the life that defies death, and you have opened for us the
way that leads to eternal life.

None of us is a great Christian; we are all humble and ordinary. But your grace
is enough for us. Arouse in us that small degree of joy and thankfulness of
which we are capable, to the timid faith which we can muster, to the cautious
obedience which we cannot refuse, and thus to the wholeness of life which you have
prepared for all of us through the death and resurrection of your Son. Do not
allow any of us to remain apathetic or indifferent to the wondrous glory of
Easter, but let the light of our risen Lord reach every corner of our dull hearts.

Karl Barth

If We Would Live Aright

If we would live aright it must be by the contemplation of Christ's death . . .

Charles H. Spurgeon

I Stand Before the Cross and Wonder

I stand before the cross and wonder.
I stand before the cross and fear.
I kneel before the cross and weep.
I pray before the cross and rejoice.
To know the cross is to know Christ.
To feel the cross is to feel Christ.
To gaze at the cross is to gaze at Christ.
To carry the cross is to be a Christian, and not until then.
God, forgive us.

Lois A. Cheney

O Direct My Life

O direct my life towards thy commandments,
Hallow my soul, purify my body,
Correct my thoughts, cleanse my desires,
Soul, and body, mind and spirit, heart and reins.
Renew me thoroughly, O God,
For, if Thou wilt, Thou canst.

Bishop Lancelot Andrewes

Jesus, help me put my faith in you

Jesus, help me put my faith in you...even when I can't see your plan, even when I can't hear your voice.

Pass me not, O gentle Savior

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

Let me at thy throne of mercy
find a sweet relief,
kneeling there in deep contrition;
help my unbelief.

Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.

Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me,
whom have I on earth beside thee?
Whom in heaven but thee?

Savior, Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

Fanny J. Crosby, 1868

Father, behold thy child

Father, behold thy child:
Creator, behold thy creature:

Master, behold thy disciple:
Savior, behold thy redeemed one:

Spirit, behold thy cleansed one:
Comforter, behold one whom thou dost uphold:

So I come to thee,
O infinite and unimaginable,
To worship thee.

Margaret Cropper (1886-1980)

O Father, give the spirit power to climb

O Father, give the spirit power to climb
To the fountain of all light, and be purified.
Break through the mists of earth, the weight of the clod,
Shine forth in splendor Thou that art calm weather,
And quiet resting place for faithful souls.
To see Thee is the end and the beginning,
Thou carriest us, and Thou dost go before,
Thou art the journey, and the journey's end.

Boethius, c.480-524

You love with an everlasting love because you are love

You love with an everlasting love because you are love. And so you are
patiently effective always and everywhere, even when we cannot feel your presence.
Teach us to love without wanting to control; to love without limit; to love you,
our friends, and also our enemies. Teach us to be patient in love when love is
not returned; teach us to be patient when even you are apparently far away.
Teach us loving, waiting and patience when there is no answer to our questionings
and our doubt.

Michael Hollings and Etta Gullick