Anthems of Peace for a Violent Day

It’s sick. Another week, another mass shooting. It’s just sick. And it’s sick that it’s happening so often that we can’t even keep track of them anymore.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for peace. Peace at home, and peace abroad. Peace between neighbors. Peace in a redeemed, restored, and resurrected cosmos, where the wolf lies down with the lamb, and the new creation Christ brings us has won out, once and for all. But for now, we do all we can to chip away at the violence and injustice. And we pray.

Dona nobis pacem.

Click here to read a prayer I wrote after the Oregon shooting a couple months ago.

It seems like every time something like this happens, mere words seem increasingly insufficient to describe the horror. So, again, we pray. And we sing. Here are a few anthems that seem fitting on a day like today. If you have others to add, leave a link in the comments.

“Anthem of Peace” – Mack Wilberg

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace” – Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee.
The darkness is no darkness with thee,
but the night is as clear as the day.
The darkness and the light to thee are both alike.
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forevermore.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee.

Dona Nobis Pacem – Z. Randall Stroope

Dona nobis pacem.

The wolf will lie with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the goat.
And the calf and the lion and yearling together,
Dona nobis pacem.

And the cow will feed with the bear,
and the lion will feed with the ox.
And the young child will play near the nest of the viper,
Dona nobis pacem.

A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse,
From his roots a branch will bear fruit.
The spirit of the Lord will rest on him,
Dona nobis pacem.

And in that day the root of Jesse
will stand as a banner to all people,
And his place of rest will be glorious.
Dona nobis pacem.

Come, Ye Disconsolate – arr. Terre Johnson 

(Sic ’em, Bears!)

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish.
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope when all others die, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure.”

Here see the Bread of Life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heav’n cannot move.

“Psalm 23” from Songs of Faith – Paul Basler

(begins at 39:40)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table for me
in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd, forever.
Amen.

Photo: Flickr: digipalm, creative commons license 2.0