O Little Town of Bethlehem

Old hymn, new lyrics

O wounded town of Bethlehem
How sad we see thee cry
Above thy curfewed, empty streets
The belching tanks roll by

Yet from deep memory springeth
The hope of all the years
God’s kingdom come
God’s will be done
On earth, relieved of tears

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org

Written April 2002 on the campus of Bethlehem University, Occupied West Bank of Palestine, where our 2002 Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation took refuge (after being stopped by Israeli soldiers) while attempting to walk into Bethlehem during a curfew (Israel’s “Operation Defensive Shield” invasion of the Occupied West Bank).