Fears and doubts too long have bound us, free our hearts
to work and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of
these days.
---Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1930
Careful now. Before we go seeing monsters under every bed,
and bogeymen around every corner, let’s be clear-headed. When the hosts of
evil scorn Jesus and his ways, what ways
exactly are they disregarding? What are
Jesus’ defining ways? I am going to go out
on a limb here, and say that anytime you saw Jesus speak for the voiceless,
stand with the invisible, lift up the lowly, welcome the outsider, or free the
oppressed, it was then you were seeing the ways of Christ.
And if that be true,
the hymn’s next line is put into beautiful, and perfect, and fearsome context
for us. Because, my friends, I have been afraid. To speak up in the face of hate or disregard. I
have doubted. Whether I was strong enough
to stand up. Whether it would be worth it. Even (God forgive me) whether my stand would be fully understood and
appreciated. Fears and doubts have silenced my speech and frozen me
into inaction. I have not walked in Jesus’
ways.
Well, I checked, and there is no way Harry Emerson Fosdick,
the prominent progressive pastor who penned this hymn, and John Mayer, popular
singer-songwriter, could have been best friends. The dates just don’t line up.
But, folks, let me tell you, I think they would have shared a groovy moment of
synchronicity over some of their writing and personal philosophies. Because
here is a verse of Mayer’s song Say:
Even
if your hands are shaking
And
your faith is broken
Even
as the eyes are closing
Do
it with a heart wide open
Say
what you need to say
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage. To say what we need to
say.
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