On March 20, 2011 the Lancaster Church of the Brethren will hold a Peace Forum. As a member of the planning committee, I was asked to write an original hymn for that occasion. The hymn that follows is the result of that effort. The text is based on the words of Jesus as recorded in the gospel of John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives." The hymn tune is ST THOMAS written by Aaron Williams, 1763. You will need to have your sound turned on to hear the MIDI file playing in the background. The MIDI sequence was prepared by NetHymnal.
My Peace I Give to You
My peace I give to you;
I bring sweet peace for all.
Not as the world brings peace by force,
destroying great and small.
The world spreads pain and death,
its enemies to bind.
The planes and bombs might win the war,
but not their hearts and minds.
Our Lord forgave them all,
who caused his awful pain.
He threw his body in the breach,
and died that love might reign.
When others strike a blow,
just turn the other cheek.
The flow of violence you might break,
and win the friend you seek.
Forgiveness brings sweet peace,
and ends the bitter strife.
God's kingdom come upon this earth,
and bring not death, but life.
You can view the score in PDF format for the hymn by clicking here. Then simply save the file to your computer. You may print one copy for yourself. If you want to make more than one copy, please ask for permission. You must keep the copyright notice on all copies.