When you look down from heaven upon the earth
– what do you see, Lord?
Of course, you see it all
and you see all of us:
inside and out,
what we hide, what we reveal,
how we fail and succeed,
what we waste and what we save,
our truth and our lies,
our virtues and sins…
do you weep, Lord?
Do you weep when you look upon us and our world?
Do you weep when you see we still solve our problems
with weapons, not words,
with weapons, not words,
with war and not wisdom,
with arms, not mercy?
Do you weep when you see how we’ve cheapened life
with our selfishness, pride and arrogance?
with our violence, greed and reckless strength?
Do you weep when you see the things we do
in the guise of religion and faith,
Do you weep when you see how we’ve cheapened life
with our selfishness, pride and arrogance?
with our violence, greed and reckless strength?
Do you weep when you see the things we do
in the guise of religion and faith,
betraying both logic and truth
and profaning your holy name?
Do you weep, O Lord,
Do you weep, O Lord,
when we label and judge, revile and hate
our neighbor whose heart has a claim on your love?
Do you weep when you see what we’ve done to the earth?
Do your tears water the desert we’ve made
of your precious and natural gifts?
Do you weep when you see the poor who suffer
while the rich grow richer
Do you weep when you see what we’ve done to the earth?
Do your tears water the desert we’ve made
of your precious and natural gifts?
Do you weep when you see the poor who suffer
while the rich grow richer
and the gap between them widens,
with little relief in sight?
Do you weep when you see your children lost
in a haze of foolish nonsense,
tempted by fantasy’s empty claims?
Do you weep when we turn our minds and hearts
from your word and your truth,
from your gospel and grace?
Do you weep when you see your children lost
in a haze of foolish nonsense,
tempted by fantasy’s empty claims?
Do you weep when we turn our minds and hearts
from your word and your truth,
from your gospel and grace?
I wonder, Lord
do you weep?
Do you weep when you look upon us and our world?
We weep too, Lord,
at least on those days
when we see through your eyes
what we’ve made of this world,
when we see through your eyes
what we’ve made of this world,
of your generous gifts and ourselves…
Let your tears pour down upon us like rain:
Let your tears pour down upon us like rain:
to open our eyes to reality,
to flood our hearts with your saving grace,
to slake our thirst for your mercy,
and to make again of this world of yours
the gift it’s ours to receive…
When you look down from heaven upon the earth
– Lord, what do you see?
