A hymn…
Help us accept each other
As Christ accepted us;
teach us as sister, brother,
Each person to embrace.
Be present, Lord, among us,
And bring us to believe
We are ourselves accepted
And meant to love and live.
Teach us, O Lord, your lessons,
As in our daily life
We struggle to be human
And search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for people,
For all, not just for some,
To love them as we find them,
Or as they may become.
Let your acceptance change us,
So that we may be moved
In living situations
To do the truth in love;
To practice your acceptance,
Until we know by heart
The table of forgiveness
And laughter’s healing art.
Lord, for today’s encounters
With all who are in need,
Who hunger for acceptance,
For righteousness and bread,
We need new eyes for seeing,
New hands for holding on;
Renew us with your Spirit;
Lord, free us, make us one!
I came upon this hymn today in a book I didn’t know I owned, or at least didn’t recall that it was part of my library of spiritual and theological books. It’s a sort of book of retreats and will come in handy, I think, for retreats I’ll be planning in the future. This particular hymn seems apropos for our present time. So here it is. I don’t know the tune, but perhaps if you do an internet search you can find the transcript somewhere. I did link an obituary for the composer, Fred Kaan, above. He sounds like a lovely soul. I’m sorry he is gone from us. I’m sure his prayers for unity and acceptance of one another are fervent and strong around the throne.
Drowning in Lemonade 