Here the church stands.

Between promises which assure
         and temptations that allure
Between certainty and confusion
         between dreams and illusions
                                       Here we stand.

Between sweet silence of peace
         and the din of war’s increase
Between God’s promised new creation
         and our human depravation
                                       Here the church stands.

                                       And here Christ stands.

Between sin-filled confession
         and grace-full redemption
                                       Here Christ stands.

Between heaven and earth
         between death and new birth
Between broken promises of our past
         and God’s kingdom come, at last
                                       Here Christ stands. 

                                       Because Christ stands,
                                                 here we stand.

At once, sinner and saint,
         at once courageous, yet all - too - faint
                                       Here the church stands.

                                       Here we stand.

                                       Here Christ stands. 

John McCullough Bade

August, 2001

From the book Our Mission:Discovering God's Call to Us
Augsburg Fortress Publishers, copyright 2002
Used by permission