For the Beauty of the Earth (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 879)
1 For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:
Refrain
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.
2 For the wonder of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flow’r,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Refrain
3 For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight:
Refrain
4 For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above;
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Refrain
5 For yourself, best gift divine
To the world so freely giv’n;
Agent of God’s grand design,
Peace on earth and joy in heav’n:
Refrain
Text: Folliott S. Pierpoint; Music: Conrad Kocher; Public Domain
Devotion
This hymn celebrating the beauty of the earth names various features of life around us for which we give praise. We glimpse a mystical union sustaining our life. Following each verse comes the Refrain, “Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.” We praise God! Today you might want to go outside. Find a comfortable place to relax. Take in what you see, smell, feel, and taste surrounding you. We are living, awakened, conscious beings, surrounded by the magnificent beauty of the earth. Spiritually and materially we are interconnected in the biosphere surrounding us. It is healing to be in nature. Whether in the garden, sitting by a pond, finding comfort under the shade of a tree, we can take in a deep breath of fresh air and “raise to God our sacrifice of praise.” That’s what I need to do. Maybe you do, too?
Prayer
Breath of God, our lungs fill with air to sustain our life. In nature we listen and hear you in the songs of birds, the rush of flowing water. Taking in the wonder and beauty of the natural world, our hearts fill with gratitude. To you we give our sacrifice of praise. Amen.