God of Wisdom and Compassion

1 God of wisdom and compassion,
whose image we all bear,
we sing praise to you for feelings
that we, your children, share:
for our times of pain and sorrow,
our loneliness and fright,
for the joys of love and laughter,
of wonder and delight.

2 Out of pain and joy the psalmist
gave voice to faith in song;
prophet-poets called for justice
to overcome all wrong;
and through stories and in letters,
apostles spread the word
of the love they found in Jesus,
our risen, living Lord.

3 New believers, fearing danger,
carved symbols in the stones;
others painted sacred pictures
in caves and catacombs.
Abbey monks, in golden writing,
brought beauty to each page,
and Reformers, in their singing,
gave hope to every age.

4 Artists, moved by their emotions,
like saints of yesterday,
still respond with new creations
in fabric, paint, and clay.
Some express in prayers and sermons
a faith steadfast and strong;
others write new words and music
for drama, dance, and song,

5 God of wisdom and compassion,
who gives us will and heart,
and inspires us through our feelings
in each new work of art,
may our minds and hands and voices
your truth and love proclaim,
and the works we have created
bring glory to your name.


Source: Faith That Lets Us Sing: fifty new hymns and short worship songs #32