O Lord of Life and Death
We thank you for the saints
Who left to us the word
And sang and taught and gave
And bled and suffered much
O Lord of Life and Death
Preserve the gifts they gave
Tend the light of the saints
For those yet to be born
Who will have much to learn
O Lord of Life and Death
Help us to remember
Those who went before us
All that they did for us
And all that they were and are
LE
In our dreams we oft can tell;
What from heaven, what from hell;
But in a cloud we have our days;
And oft should curse what garners praise;
Fair is foul and foul is fair;
Lies and half-truths cloud the air.
This world so fickle and so oft wrong;
Honors the glib, the fake, the strong;
Honors false over the true;
Honors words, not those who do.
If we find honors at our feet,
Perhaps we'd best be in retreat;
And seeing people raised up high;
On piles of honors, to the sky;
Hope not that they might fall this day;
But stand well clear and well away.
Tho' honor's given where it should not;
Yet we can judge by what is wrought:
And by their fruit do judge them still-
Doing wrong or naught, then find them ill.
Let God's commandments be your guide;
Mark them well -mark them inside:
Love the Lord and love your foe;
And often to your neighbors go:
And bring them gifts and help in need;
And be to them good friends indeed.
Worship not nor be obsessed
With this world; In God be blessed.
Nor worship any man-made lie.
Worship not the earth or sky;
Don't worship spirits of the air;
They cannot save nor do they care.
Don't make God's name a joke or worse,
Don't use God's name within a curse.
Do six days work, take one day rest;
Give it to heaven- you will be blest.
And let your helpers all rest too;
It is the Godly thing to do.
To your parents give your care;
See they can eat, have clothes to wear;
And give some mind to what they say;
You may be just like them someday.
Do not kill your fellow man;
But seek to save; do what you can.
Don't want or take what is not yours;
But work for that your heart adores.
And as this sin causes so much pain,
Let me emphasize again:
Take not from others save what they share;
Lest you cause them pain and care;
God will hear their suffering call;
May judge you ill, may let you fall.
And if you have ill gotten gain;
Pay it back, and twice again.
God will bless you and forgive;
And in your house the Lord will live.
Do not take another's spouse;
You'll bring a curse down on your house.
Honor your spouse, treat with great care;
Those who love you, and with them share.
Say nothing false, but what is true;
And give your lips a rest or two.
Seek out the good things you can do;
Treating others as they were you.
Keep these precepts in your heart;
If you'd be blessed, they're a good start.
Peace
LE
We honor and care for our departed in many ways.
Some of what we do is profoundly practical;
-collection of bodies by families and health workers;
-cleaning, preservation, and clothing or wrapping of bodies so they can be neatly managed;
-documenting and displaying of bodies so that those who had dealings with the departed can know that they are truly dead;
-final disposition of bodies that prevent them from becoming food for hazardous beasts or disease-spreading vermin.
And these are practical, sensible steps that humans execute to properly manage the dead in almost every culture, and which we have done since the days of the Neanderthals.
These tasks have also a 'ritual feel' to them, a depth. I think that few can care for the dead without being moved. Like children, or the very ill, the dead cannot care for themselves. They will not complain. They have no words, arguments, or expression any more. What filled them and gave them life is gone.
So we care for them. Sometimes we can express things to the dead we could not, cannot, to the living.
The dead do not judge.
The dead do not get angry.
The dead wait on us, and on God.
So we care for their mortal shell;
We place pictures, reminders, and little offerings;
...Where they died,
...Where they are buried,
...At memorials,
...In our workplaces,
...In our homes,
...In our lives
The dead cannot use these things.
The dead don't need flowers or sea shells,
Pebbles or crosses,
Candles or pictures
But we do.
We living, need to remember;
This one was, and is no more
This one lived
This one loved and was loved
This was one of us.
-for Boomer, and all our loved ones
Share truth
Create peace
Give space
Make time
Be good
Share truth, because truth is the coin of wisdom, the river that life swims in, and the raw material of civilization.
Create peace, because noise, enimity, and war are poison to thought, care, and life
Give space, because space is the dwelling place of dignity and honor, and food for the spirit.
Make time, because within moments of time are found infinities that can be turned powerfully to the service of light.
Be good, because in being good, you instantiate God.
