Verse and Voice

Voice of the Day: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"If the evil doings of men move you to indignation and overwhelming distress, even to a desire for vengeance on the evildoers, shun above all thing that feeling. Go at once and seek suffering for yourself, as though you were yourself guilty of that wrong. Accept that suffering and bear it and your heart will find comfort, and you will understand that you too are guilty, for you might have been a light to the evildoers and were not a light to them." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky from The Brothers Karamazov

Verse of the Day: 'They Shall All Know Me'

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more." - Jeremiah 31:34

Prayer of the Day: You Never Let Go

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Merciful God, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your perfect love is casting out fear. Even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life, please let me know you are near. Lord, you never let go of me. You never let go. Amen. Adapted from "You Never Let Go" / Matt Redman

Voice of the Day: Cara Rubinstein

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"War is like an ugly face laughing and making fun of you as you stand lost in the cold and all you hear are woodpeckers pecking the trees. / The magic of the night’s peace comes when everyone is sleeping / Don’t you wish it would come more often?" - Cara Rubinstein from “The Peace of the Night”

Verse of the Day: The Planter and the Waterer

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building." - 1 Corinthians 3:8-9

Prayer of the Day: A House Wide Enough for All

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of all humankind, make the roof of our house wide enough for all opinions. Oil the door of our house so it opens easily to friend and stranger and set such a table in our house that our whole family may speak kindly and freely around it. Amen. Adapted from A prayer from Hawaii, 1000 World Prayers

Voice of the Day: Townes Van Zandt

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Humans can't live in the present, like animals do. Humans are always thinking about the future or the past. So it's a veil of tears, man. I don't know anything that's going to benefit me now, except love. I just need an overwhelming amount of love. And a nap. Mostly a nap." - Townes Van Zandt

Verse of the Day: Your Commandments and Decrees Delight

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight. Your decrees are righteous for ever; give me understanding that I may live." - Psalm 119:143-144

Prayer of the Day: 'Offended by Your Revelations'

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Protect us, Lord, from being so offended by your revelations that we curse your prophets. Guard us from being so foolishly blinded by your majesty that we lose any sense of how to speak as your witness. Rather, help our lips praise you for your glory. Amen.
Taken from the May 23 reflection in Common Prayer: A liturgy for ordinary radicals.

Voice of the Day: Barbara Brown Taylor

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.” - Barbara Brown Taylor from An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith

Verse of the Day: 'Not the Righteous But Sinners'

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." - Matthew 9:12-13

Prayer of the Day: From the Lord's Prayer

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God in heaven, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Amen.

Verse of the Day: Strong and Courageous

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Prayer of the Day: NATO

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for our world leaders as several of them convene at the NATO summit in Chicago -- give them wisdom as they make tough decisions. Lord, orient their hearts towards peace and unity, upholding dignity and respect for all people. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Staying, we all know, is not the norm in our mobile culture. A great deal of money is spent each day to create desires in each of us that can never be fulfilled. I suspect that much of our restlessness is a return on this investment." - Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove from, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture

Voice of the Day: W.E.B. Du Bois

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.” - W.E.B. Du Bois from, Three African-American Classics

Verse of the Day: God Raises the Poor From the Dust

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"[God] raises up the poor from the dust; [God] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them [God] has set the world." - 1 Samuel 2:8

Prayer of the Day: World AIDS Vaccine Day

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray today for all the children who have been burdened with HIV/AIDS, that you will give them better access to health care and medicine. We pray that you will give strength to their caregivers and love from their communities. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Flannery O'Connor

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“He loved her because it was his nature to do so, but there were times when he could not endure her love for him. There were times when it became nothing but pure idiot mystery...” - Flannery O'Connor from Everything that Rises Must Converge

Verse of the Day: Jesus is Our Peace

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"For [Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us." - Ephesians 2:14

Prayer of the Day: Faithfulness

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

O Lord, I praise you for your great faithfulness! Thank you for being faithful even when I am faithless! Thank you for allowing me into your everlasting kingdom. Keep my wandering heart close to you. Amen. Adapted from Blue Letter Bible

Voice of the Day: Anne Wilson Schaef

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Mysteriously hidden within each of us are the seeds that can germinate into a new society, a new planet. Like the corn, we have hidden deep within our living process a wisdom that reaches back to all knowledge and beyond all possibilities.... We have the wisdom of the ancestors reaching back to the mighty power of all creation... within us." - Anne Wilson Schaef

Verse of the Day: Prisoners to Prosperity

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"God gives the desolate a home to live in; [God] leads out the prisoners to prosperity..." - Psalm 68:6a

Prayer of the Day: Trapped in Trafficking

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for the millions of men and women, girls and boys, who are trapped by human trafficking. Break their chains and set them free. Help those in power to bring the perpetrators to justice. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Cesar Chavez

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Once social change begins it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.” - Cesar Chavez

Verse of the Day: Do Not Forget The Oppressed

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed." - Psalm 10:12

Prayer of the Day: Syria

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Dear Lord, our hearts grieve as we witness the escalating violence and needless deaths in Syria. We pray for a speedy resolution to the political crisis and wisdom for the governments involved. Lord, may Christians, Muslims and all people of faith in Syria unite to build peace and justice for all. Amen. Adapted from the Methodist Church in Britain's Prayer for Syria

Voice of the Day: Howard Zinn

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Truth has a power of its own... A poem can inspire a movement. A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think." - Howard Zinn

Verse of the Day: Mustard Seed Becomes a Tree

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’" - Matthew 13:31-32

Prayer of the Day: A Few Minutes of Silence

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Today, spend a few minutes resting in silence with God. Turn the volume down, the electronics off, or find a space where you can be free of distractions to rest, wait, listen.

Voice of the Day: Linford Detweiler

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Slowly the land reveals itself
To us.

We learn to recognize
The difference between
Killing time
And resting.

- Linford Detweiler

Verse of the Day: Rich and Poor

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all." - Proverbs 22:2

Prayer of the Day: Microfinance

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for the global systems of microfinance: strengthen these institutions so that people will be able to realize their dreams and put their talents to use. Give wisdom to both those giving and receiving loans so that they may bless each other with their work and resources, alleviating poverty and establishing dignity. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Marian Wright Edelman

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Only when enough adults practice and teach children love and respect at home, in schools, religious congregations, and in our political and civic life will racial, gender, and religious intolerance and hate crimes subside in America and the world." - Marian Wright Edelman from Lanterns

Verse of the Day: Open Your Hands

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be." - Deuteronomy 15:7-8

Prayer of the Day: Air

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Lord God, we pray for the air and the atmosphere around us. We confess that we have not protected it as we ought. Protect your creation from our acid rain, our smog, and our pollution. Give us the determination to clean this air so that all of us -- whether creatures, birds, or people -- may breathe deeply and know that the air we breathe is indeed good. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Toni Morrison

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think." - Toni Morrison

Verse of the Day: 'Everything Has Become New'

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Prayer of the Day: Pain and Healing

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of healing, we pray for those who are in pain -- physical or emotional, real or imagined. Lord, only you know the depths of their suffering. You alone know the path to healing and recovery. In your mercy, wipe away their aches and pains, their headaches and heartaches. Amen.

Voice of the Day: John Wesley

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, least it find a way into my heart.” - John Wesley

Verse of the Day: 'The Kingdom of God is Among You'

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'" - Luke 17:20-21

Prayer of the Day: Everlasting Peace

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

O God who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who has taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet for us forever. Amen.

Prayer from Galasian

Voice of the Day: Archbishop Oscar Romero

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of god that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?” - Archbishop Oscar Romero

Verse of the Day: A Harvest of Righteousness

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace." - James 3:17-18

Prayer of the Day: "Prayer Process for Healing Relationships"

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, release us from everything within our minds that would keep us bound to limitation, suffering, forgetfulness, and fear. We want to be free... Please direct out thoughts and guide our visions. Help us to see in all people only what you would have us see, and help us to see in ourselves only what you would have us see. Show us the way to healing and to peace. Amen.

Adapted from Diane Berke's "Prayer Process for Healing Relationships"

Prayer of the Day: Restore My Soul

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, this weekend, restore my soul. Walk close to me. Draw me near. Help me to find my rest in you. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Susan Witt

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"In village after village, leaders are appearing whose roots run deep in their local community… It is these villagers, both rural and urban, who are the 'new agrarians,' creating the basis for a new peace, while champions of the global economy are risking the lives of us all by fostering the conditions for a new war." - Susan Witt from, “New Agrarians, Local Innovators”

Verse of the Day: The Measure You Give...

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." - Luke 6:37-38

Voice of the Day: Søren Kierkegaard

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"O thou who art unchangeable, whom nothing changes! Thou art unchanged in love, precisely for our welfare not subject to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the direction of thy unchangeableness, so that we may, in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in thy unchangeableness." - Søren Kierkegaard from The Prayers of Kierkegaard

Verse of the Day: Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Return to the Lord, your God, for [the Lord] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing." - Joel 2:13

Prayer of the Day: Poverty

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Almighty God, we long for the day when poverty and injustice will be no more. Bless those who are currently living in poverty or in the shadows of injustice. Fill their stomachs and quench their thirst. Break the chains of injustice and oppression, that those who have been crippled by unfair laws, policies, and practices will be set free. Amen.

Voice of the Day: George Washington Carver

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." - George Washington Carver

Verse of the Day: 'Your Words Give Light'

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." - Psalm 119:130

Prayer of the Day: Places of Unrest

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we lift up to you today all the places where there is unrest: Syria, South Sudan, Mali, Somalia, Pakistan, and others. Infiltrate the hearts and minds of the people in these places with your peace. May we all seek this peace that calms the storms in our own hearts and minds. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Joan Chittister

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Dissimulation, half answers, vindictive attitudes, a false presentation of self are all barbs in the soul of the monastic. Holiness, this ancient rule says to a culture that has made crafty packaging high art, has something to do with being who we say we are, claiming our truths, opening our hearts, giving ourselves to the other pure and unglossed." - Joan Chittister from The Rule of Benedict

Verse of the Day: Give Thanks, Rejoice, Pray

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Prayer of the Day: Zen Chant

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

May suffering ones be suffering free, and the fear struck fearless be. May the grieving shed all grief -- and the sick find health relief. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Cornel West

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“We've forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it. We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people, the courage to fight for social justice. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that's the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word.” - Cornel West from, The Impossible Will Take a Little While

Verse of the Day: Gather the Flock

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply." - Jeremiah 23:3

Prayer of the Day: Quebec Student Protests

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for the student protests happening in Quebec -- for peace between the police and students, and for humility for all involved. Lord, maintain a spirit of peace over the escalating violence so that civil discourse will still be attainable. Amen.

Verse of the Day: Lamp of the Body

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"'The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!'" - Matthew 6:22-23

Prayer of the Day: Service

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow human beings throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Through our hands, grant them this day their daily bread; and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy. Amen.
Daily prayer fo the co-workers of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Voice of the Day: Latin Antiphon

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Like splendid palm branches, we are strewn in the Lord’s path." - Latin Antiphon

Voice of the Day: Kathleen Norris

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“We shortchange ourselves by regarding religious faith as a matter of intellectual assent. This is a modern aberration; the traditional Christian view is far more holistic, regarding faith as a whole-body experience. Sometimes it is, as W.H. Auden described it, 'a matter of choosing what is difficult all one's days as if it were easy.” - Kathleen Norris

Verse of the Day: Rich in Generosity

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share." - 1 Timothy 6:17-18

Prayer of the Day: Syria

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, the rocket attacks in Syria remind us of our brothers and sisters there who live everyday in fear. Comfort the families of victims and give them peace. Bring peace to the whole country. Change the hearts of those in power. Give wisdom and discernment to the international community as they think of ways to peacefully intervene. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Thich Nhat Hanh

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up, to understand, and to love." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Verse of the Day: Energy and Inspiration

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"It is [Jesus] whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me." - Colossians 1:28-29

Prayer of the Day: Islamabad plane crash

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, comfort the families and friends of those who died in the Islamabad plane crash last week. Give them peace in their hearts, minds, and souls. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Henri J.M. Nouwen

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand." - Henri J.M. Nouwen

Verse of the Day: Trees of the Field

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12

Prayer of the Day: Immigration Reform

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Most Holy Lord, You are ever present and ever merciful for people on the move. We thank you for the blessings of our own immigrant heritage. We thank you for the privilege of participating in the government of this great country. Help us as people of faith call boldly for justice in our immigration laws. May our call be heard and echoed by our legislators and our president. Amen. A prayer from Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Services

Voice of the Day: Robert Corin Morris

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"What we cultivate and care about inwardly either freshens or poisons the bloodstream of humanity." - Robert Corin Morris

Verse of the Day: In Every Living Creature

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being." - Job 12:7-10

Prayer of the Day: For the Beauty of the Earth

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

For the beauty of the earth For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies. Lord of all to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise.
Taken from Folliot Pierpoint’s 1864 hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth”