A Hymn-Prayer for the Election

God of all peoples, cultures and nations,
God of the poor and wealthy ones, too--
Be with our land as we make decisions;
Help us, we pray, to listen to you.

May we hear well your call to do justice;
May we know all your children have worth.
May we seek leaders who will end violence;
May we choose ones who care for your earth.

May we be thoughtful in our decisions:
Who will be truthful, moral and wise?
Who will restore the streets that we live in?
Who will love those whom others despise?

How will the ones campaigning to lead us
Care for the stranger, outcast and poor?
Will they hear ones who long have been silenced?
Or will they say that wealth matters more?

God, may this time of anger be over;
May we grow past our current divide.
Make us as one, as sisters and brothers;
In this good land, may your love abide. 

Biblical references: Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 58; Micah 6:8; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 9:52-56; Hebrews 13:2; Leviticus 19:18, 33-34; Luke 15:1; Ephesians 4:6; Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 22:24; I John 3:17-18; 4:20-21.
Hymn Tune: Gaelic melody
Text: Copyright © 2016 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net New Hymns: carolynshymns.com
Permission is given for free use of this hymn by those who support Sojourners.
Hymn Note for “God of All Peoples, Cultures and Nations”
Tune: The hymn tune, Bunessan, is a traditional Gaelic melody that was originally associated with the 19^th century Christmas carol, "Child in a Manger,” by Mary Macdonald. When the Gaelic hymn was translated into English, the melody was named after the small village on the Scottish island of Mull by the translator, Lachlan Macbean. Eleanor Farjeon wrote a new hymn to this tune, "Morning Has Broken," that was published in 1931.