God Our Help in Ages Past,
Ever present to the saints in our scriptures and throughout history,
You have been at work:
Leading them to new places, new vistas, new frontiers of faith
Guiding them by still waters, restoring their souls
Granting them faith, that we may learn of your faithfulness
Though they now rest in you, their faith lives on in us.
God Our Help in this Present Age,
Ever present to the saints in our world today — even when we fail to see,
You are at work:
Comforting the hearts of those who grieve the loss of beloved friends and family
Renewing the spirits of those who search for hope and come up short
Transforming the minds of those who have grown dull with despair and ache from anxiety
Help us find rest in you, O God, that faith may awaken in us.
God Our Help in the Age to Come,
Ever present to your saints, come what may,
You will be at work:
Resisting the cries of cynicism and resentment and discord
Summoning us to a deeper love for our neighbors
Drawing us into a more loving, more just, more generous way
Give us wisdom for living, speaking, and acting faithfully in the days to come.
God, our help in this and every age… hold us in the ever-present Love of Christ
Jesus, our Teacher, who teaches us to pray saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.