Weekly Words for the Journey

To My Beloved PBBC Community

“Take My Life and Let It Be”
(Text by Frances Ridley Havergal; music by Henry A. Cesar Malan)

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days – Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold – not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine – it shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart – it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love – my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself – and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Everything is different right now…how we do our work, how we balance our lives, how we view the world. As we continue to fight the pandemic, we receive mixed messages about whether to feel safe or at risk, whether to move forward or step back, whether to open up or shut down.

We were blessed to share the bread and cup of communion last week, and yet we know people are still hungry and waiting in lines for food assistance. We have had the joy of small gatherings each week at church, yet the question of gathering safely in our sanctuary with larger numbers remains uncertain and unclear. We have known the grief of lives lost, illnesses fought, storms and wildfires raging on; politics enflamed, injustice exposed, civic responsibility put to the test.

But we still need God, and God needs us. Let us take, then, our moments, days, hands, voices; our silver and gold, heart and will; our intellect and power, life and love, and let it all be used in service to others. Let it all be offered with grace from ourselves…

Pastor Claudine

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