“Let the Whole Creation Cry” (ELW 876)
Devotion
Let the whole creation cry,
"Glory to the Lord on high!"
Heav'n and earth, awake and sing,
"Praise him, our almighty king!"
Praise him, angel hosts above,
ever bright and fair in love;
sun and moon, lift up your voice;
night and stars, in God rejoice.
Warriors fighting for the Lord,
prophets burning with his word,
those to whom the arts belong
add their voices to the song.
Kings of knowledge and of law,
to the glorious circle draw;
all who work and all who wait,
sing, "The Lord is good and great!"
Men and women, young and old,
raise the anthem loud and bold,
and let children's happy hearts
in this worship take their parts;
from the north to southern pole
let the mighty chorus roll:
"Holy, Holy, Holy One;
glory be to God alone!"
I have kept a quote from Dag Hammarskjold, second Secretary-General of the United Nations, on my desk: "For all that has been, thank! For all that will be, yes!" My father's special portion of scripture was Philippians 3:10-14, "I press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." It was for him a reminder of that constant challenge to us of looking to the future. How important it is to know where we came from and to know the magnitude of God’s gifts. This hymn elicits our praise to God. It gives God the highest praise for giving the greatest gift. Being grateful for God’s gracious gift of all that is past, we now are enabled to press on to a new day of love and service. That is our yes!
Prayer
We do give thanks, O God, for all that life has blessed us with. Direct us to where you would have us go as you lead us into our upward call to the future. Amen.