Psalm 51:3-6, 12-17
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ; you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me…13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are [a] a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
All Things of Dust to Dust Return
All things of dust to dust return
on earth and in the sky.
The hottest, brightest suns that burn
in time grow dim and die.
The fish that leap, the birds that soar,
the newborn young that play,
the leaves that fill the forest floor
revert to dust and clay.
Lord, mark with dust and ash my brow
so I may comprehend
that every moment here and now
links me to that same end
I share with all that breathe and burn,
that flare and fade and tire
yet by their waning light discern
your own undying fire.
Lord, mark upon my brow this sign:
a stark and barren cross
reminding me that though divine
you know my pain and loss,
and at the touch of dust and ash
awake my heart to view
how death itself is but a flash
that dies away in you.
Thomas H. Troeger
copyright © 2009 Oxford University Press
from God, You Made All Things for Singing, forthcoming in 2009
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