O Where Are Kings and Empires Now

308 O Where Are Kings and Empires Now

1 O where are kings and empires now
   Of old that went and came?
   But, Lord, your Church is praying yet,
   A thousand years the same.

2 We mark her goodly battlements
   And her foundations strong;
   We hear within the solemn voice
   Of her unending song.

3 For not like kingdoms of the world
   Your holy Church, O God,
   Though earthquake shocks are threatening her,
   And tempests are abroad,

4 Unshaken as eternal hills,
   Immovable she stands,
   A mountain that shall fill the earth,
   A house not made by hands.
                         A. Cleveland Coxe
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
A healthy reminder a couple of weeks before the United States heads to the voting booth. As strong as the United States seems, it's just an earthly empire that will eventually crumble and fall. As I read the other day, "the most powerful leaders in this world have an expiration date."
</idle musing>