We do not belong to the night,
nor shall we fear it.
Quench not this Spirit-fire,
test it all:
book and sermon
feeling, message, proclamation
Hold it up to the Light of truth
who maketh all things new.
Be not afraid to wrestle, push;
Live the questions.
The will of God may not be plain
(or same) for you and me.
Creation groans, and Spirit births freedom;
paths unique as hearts who hear her voice.
The One who calls is faithful and will do it:
equip us to be joyful always, prayerful,
to lift hearts brimful with thanks.
This is God's good and pleasing, perfect will.
In light of God's great mercy, friends,
we offer our own bodies on the altar of our lives,
The worship of each breath sanctified.
Let us be not conformed to any but Christ,
whose truth has set us free like birds to flight.
Transformed, may thinking spark
renewal (our minds' first!)
We who are many are one.
Gifted and graced, we belong
to one another in love sincere.
Repentance springs from kindness most of all.
Rejecting evil, we cling fast to all that's good.
Honoring each other, we press on
to practice hospitality,
to bless and not to curse.
We are not overcome by evil
but overcome evil with good.
Children of the Light,
love the day and Dayspring
and each one as ourselves:
Beloved, transforming, and renewed,
like the dawn of something better.
{1 Thessalonians 5, Romans 12}
