I went with my mother to her church in New Hampshire's Keene
The scripture lesson was Psalm 139, verses one to eighteen
The guest preacher’s sermon was “Living With What I Know”
As we remembered the Holocaust so many years ago
His father’s firm used lots of slave labor
Of what he knew, we cannot be sure
Rev Rumscheidt talked of the Psalm’s consolation and power
Noting God’s presence, even in the darkest hour
The Germans used the name “Project Ascension”
As their term for the ongoing extermination
The term in church is a cause for celebration
But it was the opposite for the targets of discrimination
Although this happened so long ago
“What they did, the Germans must know”
We heard about “humanity’s inhumanity”
Their actions make us question everyone’s sanity
Rev Rumscheidt does not want to look away
As his parents apparently did in their day
He says the toughest part is to accept the truth
And to live with that knowledge, until long in the tooth
But remember the words from the Apostles Creed
Jesus descended into hell before He was freed
So when of communion we do partake
We should remember the victims, for their sake
Together we then said the Barmen Declaration
The Protestant call to resistance in Hitler’s nation
Followed by a hymn of commitment
The “Circle Chant”, here is how it went:
“Circle round for freedom, circle round for peace
For all of us imprisoned, circle for release
Circle for the planet, circle for each soul
For the children of our children, keep the circle whole”
Lastly came a moving folk song “Hardly Ever Again”
Which Henry Knight sang and Tom Paxton did pen
More genocides have occurred despite the vow
Unfortunately “that was then, but this is now”
In reality, none of us should ever forget
About all of the innocent blood that was let
Or about God’s presence and grace
Which can save this human race
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