A Song of Peace

In a church service I attended this morning the congregation sang “A Song of Peace.”  The tune was from “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius.  I told everyone it was the national anthem of Finland, but I learned tonight on Wikipedia that it was proposed as Finland’s national anthem but not adopted.

In any case, it should be a national anthem for somebody.  No bombs bursting, no rockets’ red glare.  Here are the words

This is my song, O God of all the nations, 

A song of peace for lands afar and mine;

This is my home, the country where my heart is,

This is my hope, my dream, my shrine;

But other hearts in other lands are beating

With hopes and dreams the same as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, 

And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too and clover,

And skies are sometimes blue as mine.

Oh here my song Thou God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and mine.