Lamb of God, via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED
The sins of the world,
such dreadful sins.
not just the personal sins
but the solidarity of sin
greater than the total
of individual sin
nuclear evil in endless fission,
O Lamb of God.
The sin of racial pride
that sees not the faith
that all men are divinely made
nor the riches of pigment
in portrait faces,
the same psychology
and religious search,
that each is the sibling
for whom Christ died.
The burgeoning greed
that never heeds the needs of others
involved in a merciless system,
looking only at profit and dividend,
the last of possessions
that cannot accompany us
at our last migration:
Take away these sins,
O Lamb of God.
The massive sin of war,
millions of lives impersonally destroyed,
billions of pounds wasted
on weapons, bombs,
truth enslaved,
the hungry still unfed,
grief stalking unnumbered homes:
Weep over us,
O Lamb of God.
The sin of the world,
alienation from thee
not just weakness
but evil intention,
organized and unrestrained
with its own momentum
leading to death:
O Lamb of God,
take away this sin.
Begin with me,
O Lamb of God,
forgive my sins,
cleanse my heart,
disarm my will
and let me fight
armed with thy truth, righteousness and love
with thy cross of love
incised upon my heart,
O Lamb of God.
George Appleton, 1902-1993, Anglican Bishop in England and Jerusalem
________________________
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
prayer & verse 