© 2007-2008 John Thornburg
A Child Most Eager to Belong
A child, most eager to belong
observed an elder lost in song.
She asked a timeless thing:
“Please tell me now, why do we sing?”
“Because we can,” the elder said.
“To show that we’re alive, not dead;
to feel that God is near,
to free us from the things we fear.”
“A song unites us with our past,
reminds us of the truths that last.
And now, the most profound:
God’s love is working in the sound.”
The child in us still wants to know
why tunes can cause our hearts to grow.
In truth, we cannot say,
and so, with humble hearts we pray:
Creator God, work though the notes,
Inspire the beat, refresh our throats
so singing in this place
reflects your rich, transforming grace.