From the Concord Pastor: Beautifully said; How long O Lord

How long, O Lord,
how long will we wait?

How long will we wait
'til the violence ends
in our world,
our nation,
our schools,
our streets,
our homes,
our entertainment,
our politics,
our language,

our hearts?

How long, O Lord,
how long will we pray?

How long will we pray
for a gentle spirit,
for hearts to turn,
for change to disarm
   the violence that stalks us,
   the nightmare that haunts us,
   the fears that distress us?

How long, O Lord,
how long will we wait and pray?

How long will we wait and pray,
'til we discern and see
that you wait for us to make the changes,
the changes we need to make
for violence to be vanquished,
peace to triumph,
and your love to rule our hearts?

How long, O Lord?

How long will we wait and pray
before we act?

Have mercy on us, O Lord,
have mercy on your people!

Amen.