Father Eternal, Ruler of Creation

469 Father Eternal, Ruler of Creation

1 Father eternal, Ruler of creation,
   Spirit of life, which moved ere form was made;
   Through the thick darkness covering every nation,
   Light to man's blindness, O be Thou our aid:
   Thy Kingdom come, O Lord, Thy will be done.

2 Races and peoples, lo! we stand divided,
   And sharing not our griefs, no joy can share;
   By wars and tumults Love is mocked, derided,
   His conquering cross no kingdom wills to bear:
   Thy Kingdom come, O Lord, Thy will be done.

3 Envious of heart, blind-eyed, with tongues confounded,
   Nation by nation still goes unforgiven;
   In wrath and fear, by jealousies surrounded,
   Building proud towers which shall not reach to heaven:
   Thy Kingdom come, O Lord, Thy will be done.

4 How shall we love Thee, holy, hidden Being,
   If we love not the world which Thou hast made?
   O give us brother love for better seeing
   Thy Word made flesh, and in a manger laid:
   Thy Kingdom come, O Lord, Thy will be done.
                         Laurence Housman
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
A very appropriate hymn for this time of year, and this time in the life of the world/country. We could use more hymns/prayers like this one.

The biography of Housman is interesting: He's the younger brother of A. E. Housman. He also was a committed pacifist and a socialist, so he had issues with censorship...
</idle musing>