The Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown (1875-1956), Unitarian Minister, and founder of the Harlem Community Church, once offered the following prayer.
“As we face a troubled and a puzzled world,
We too are troubled and puzzled.
As our fond dreams remain unrealized-
And our bright hopes of yesterday wither
In the bitter disappointments of today,
Our courage fails, our spirits droop,
Our faith trembles,
And, frustrated, we bow our heads
In despair.
Nevertheless, we come to God in this hour of worship, in this house of prayer.
As we pray for peace in our time,
O God,
May we be at peace with
The world,
with ourselves and
with Thee.
May we know that without love there
Will never be peace.
Teach us therefore to love.” *
Learn more about Rev. Ethelred Egbert Brown’s life and legacy in this thoughtful essay by Ken Jones in the Jamaica Gleaner and in this moving piece by Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison Reed in the UU World.
*From “Without Love” by Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown in Been in the Storm So Long, edited by Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed and Jacqui James (Skinner House Books). Featured as reading #218 in Lifting Our Voices: Readings in the Living Tradition.