For the Beauty of the Earth, ELW 879 + LBW 561
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
Devotion
“For the perfect gift of thine, peace on earth and joy in heav’n,
For thyself, best gift divine, to our world is freely giv’n,
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this, our sacrifice of praise.” Vs. 5
When all is said and done, the greatest gift God gives is new life through Jesus Christ. Of all the great and generous gifts God gives, the greatest is the sacrifice of God’s own son, defeating the powers of sin and death, giving the abundance of life to all. As this week of God Pause concludes, we offer our “sacrifice of praise” out of grateful hearts to our generous God.
Prayer
How can we say thanks for your abundance? How can we possibly show proper gratitude for the sacrifice of your son? We are at a loss, God. All we can do is offer our sacrifice of praise and ourselves for your service. Receive these feeble attempts as our thanks to you. Amen.