Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands
Good Morning Friends! (Though by the time you read this it may be afternoon.)
Today I’m sharing with you two of the great “new songs” from our More Voices songbook.
We have used both of these in worship over the last year. The tunes may not be familiar to you. (Though they are quite singable.) I look forward to having us sing them together in the weeks ahead.
The Rev. Fred Kaan was a Minister of Dutch origin who served The Congregational Church in Britain. He was a wonderful and gifted poet whose hymns have been a blessing to churches around the world.
Often, Fred Kaan worked In collaboration with our United Church gifted musician Ron Klusmeier.
One such Kaan/Klusmeier team effort is Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands (More Voices #173). In our present circumstances these words and this music touch me deeply. Of course, our reaching out cannot be done physically but is none-the-less powerfully important. These words especially resonate:
2. Put peace into each other’s hands with loving expectation; be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.
4. Give thanks for strong yet tender hands, held out in trust and blessing. Where words fall short, let hands speak out, the heights of love expressing.
5. Reach out in friendship, stay with faith in touch with those around you. Put peace into each other’s hands; the Peace that sought and found you.
The second song that I want to share today is one that comes to us from our United Church “Common Cup Company” (which was Alberta based) – words and music by Gordon Light. This song is “Come Touch Our Hearts” (More Voices #12):
1. Come touch our hearts that we may know compassion, from failing embers build a blazing fire; love strong enough to overcome injustice, to seek a world more gracious, come touch and bless our hearts.
2. Come touch our souls that we may know and love you, your quiet presence all our fears dispel; create a space for spirit to grow in us, let life and beauty fill us, come touch and bless our souls.
4. Come touch us in the moments we are fragile, and in our weakness your great strength reveal; that we may rise to follow and to serve, steady now our nerve, come touch and bless our wills.
May God’s Spirit move in us and among us that these sacred songs might be to us a blessing for this day.
Grace and peace with pastoral love and concern,
Rev. Phil
P.S. Below is the morning smile
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