When the Church of Jesus

Last night I was working on our church's Christmas program and I came across this song in our church songbook. It is in a minor key and doesn't particularly lend itself to effortless congregational participation like "Love Lifted Me" or something along those lines. However, the words really jumped out at me. And no, even as great as the words are, they don't quite fit into our program theme of "Mary, Did you Know?" LOL

When the Church of Jesus

Words and Music by Fred Pratt Green, 1968

1. When the Church of Jesus shuts its outer door,

Lest the roar of traffic drown the voice of prayer,

May our prayers, Lord, make us ten times more aware

That the world we banish is our Christian care.

2. If our hearts are lifted where devotion soars

High above this hungry, suffring world of ours,

Lest our hymns should drug us to forget its needs,

Forge our Christian worship into Christian deeds.

3. Lest the gifts we offer - money, talents, time -

Serve to salve our conscience to our secret shame,

Lord, reprove, inspire us by the way You give;

Teach us, dying Savior, how true Christians live.