BEFORE THE CROSS

              BEFORE THE CROSS


Daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not mourn or weep again,
Jesus said, as he bore the cross,
A victory that seemed a loss.

No, do not weep, do not cry.
They do this when the tree is green,
What will they do when the tree is dry?

Barefoot children in the lane,
Shelter from the pelting rain,
And when the rose breaks through the ice,
You will sing in paradise.

No, do not weep, do not cry.
They do this when the tree is green,
What will they do when the tree is dry?

Silent soldiers on the hill,
Waiting for the sign to kill,
One day your captives will be free,
Sailing on a sunlit sea.

No, do not weep, do not cry.
They do this when the tree is green,
What will they do when the tree is dry?

Father, forgive what they do.
Let them come through me to you.
Forgive the hammer and the nail.
Though they falter, let them not fail.

No, do not weep, do not cry.
They do this when the tree is green,
What will they do when the tree is dry?