Brood o’er Us with Thy Sheltering Wing

Brood o’er us with Thy shel­ter­ing wing

’Neath which our spir­its blend

Like bro­ther birds

that soar and sing

And on the same branch bend.

The ar­row that doth wound the dove

Darts not from those who watch and love.

If thou the bend­ing reed would break

By thought or word un­kind

Pray that His Spir­it you par­take

Who loved and healed man­kind:

Seek ho­ly thoughts and heav­en­ly strain

That make men one in love re­main.

Learn

too

that wis­dom’s rod is giv­en

For faith to kiss

and know;

That greet­ings glo­ri­ous from high Heav­en

Whence joys super­nal flow

Come from that Love

di­vine­ly near

Which chast­ens pride and earth­born fear.

Through God

who gave that word of might

Which swelled cre­ation’s lay:

Let there be light

and there was light.

What chased the clouds away?

’Twas love whose fin­ger traced aloud

A bow of pro­mise on the cloud.

Thou to whose pow­er our hope we give

Free us from hu­man strife.

Fed by Thy love di­vine we live

For Love alone is life;

And life most sweet

as heart to heart

Speaks kind­ly when we meet and part.