Oh, God, who made the summer
and warmed the earth with beauty,
Warm our hearts with gratitude
and devotion to our duty …
For in this age of violence,
rebellion and defiance,
We’ve forgotten the true meaning
of dependable reliance.
We have lost our sense of duty
and our sense of values, too,
And what was once unsanctioned
no longer is taboo.
Our standards have been lowered,
and we resist all discipline,
And our vision has been narrowed
and blinded to all sin.
Oh, put the summer brightness
in our closed, unseeing eyes
So in the careworn faces
that we pass we’ll recognize
The heartbreak and the loneliness
the trouble and despair
That a word of understanding
would make easier to bear.
Oh God, look down on our cold hearts
and warm them with Your love,
And grant us Your forgiveness
which we’re so unworthy of.