Lord of all Hopefulness

We called it the "all day" song, and it was my favorite hymn in college. 

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

My goal in writing is to find hope and joy in life. When I wake up each morning, I have this amazing view of the lake outside my window. It's an incredible sight, made more beautiful I think when the seasons change. The fall colors are spectacular, the summer green leaves are lush, the snow-covered trees are sparkling! It's the reason I love to sleep with the lake-side blinds open; what a joy to wake up to! 

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Help me, Lord, to be active. To continue to labor even in my retirement years, and to continue to marvel at all I can do because of your gifts. Because I have more time on my hands I often spend it on social media. I find that social media, more than anything else, sucks the joy and hopefulness right out of me. I used to take so much pleasure in viewing the new babies, family updates, exciting vacations, and other news posted by my friends and family, but so much of it now is political and divisive. It turns my hopeful joyful mood into anger, frustration and sadness. 

Help me, Lord, to spend more time on activity and less time on social media.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Bless my family, Lord. My husband, our children, nieces and nephews, brothers & sisters (and their spouses), aunts, uncles and cousins, and all those people I consider to be family, even though we're not related. In this time of covid, when we can't embrace or even be together, help me to reach out and show your love in my heart. A phone call, a letter, an email. Remind me that even when we can't be together there are ways I can show love to these precious ones. 

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace: help me to be kind and to live with grace.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Peace. 

I remember singing this on Wednesday night communions at Concordia, and thinking it was the most lovely sound I'd ever heard. A large group of believers, gathered together, praying and sharing and singing. 

One of the things I miss most during this time of covid-19 is singing. Maybe you do too. So, turn up the volume and sing along. I wish you hope and joy in your day, and as the day comes to an end, I wish you peace.

Traditional Irish Tune
Lyrics by Jan Struther, 1931