By the Powers for Good

May your waxen candles flaming spread their warmth,
As their glow flickers darkeness into the light.
May your will be done to make us one again;
May your love’s glimmering hope illumine our night.

When now the silence spreads around us,
O let us hear the sounds you raise,
Of world unseen in growth abounding,
And the children chanting hymns of praise.

The forces for good surround us in wonder,
They firm up our courage for what comes our way.
God’s with us from dawn to the slumber of evening,
The promise of love at break of each day.

            Dietrich Bonhoeffer from  “A Testament to Freedom”