Is the city all they say it is
Is the city all they say it is - just dirt and noise?
Is there hope for all its men and women, girls and boys?
Do our neighbours live in fear
of new dangers lurking near?
Is there beauty in the city such as God enjoys?
Can our streets and parks be safe, our schools and churches strong?
And wherever we are from, can everyone belong?
Does the city need a soul?
Can what's broken be made whole?
Will it stagger down to hell, or dance to heaven's song?
Didn't Jesus love the city, in those three short years
when it half-believed his stories, when it felt his tears?
But it couldn't take the heat
and it nailed his hands and feet;
then on Sunday - Hallelujah! - that's his voice it hears!
So today those hands bring us together, team by team,
and those feet we aim to follow, fleshing out God's dream;
By the Holy Spirit's flame
go to work in Jesus' name
for a city where the Lord of love will rule supreme.
Christopher Idle
© Christopher Idle / Jubilate Hymns
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