Blessing and Honor, ELW 854
1 Blessing and honor and glory and power,
Wisdom and riches and strength evermore,
Be to the Lamb who our battle has won,
Whose are the kingdom, the crown and the throne;
Whose are the kingdom, the crown and the throne.
2 Let all the heavens sound forth Jesus' name;
Let all the earth sing his glory and fame.
Ocean and mountain, stream, forest and flower
Echo his praises and tell of his power.
Echo his praises and tell of his power.
3 Ever ascending the song and the joy;
Ever descending the love from on high;
Blessing and honor and glory and praise –
This is the theme of the hymns that we raise.
This is the theme of the hymns that we raise.
4 Give we the glory and praise to the Lamb!
Take we the robe and the harp and the palm;
Sing we the song of the Lamb that was slain,
Dying in weakness and rising to reign;
Dying in weakness and rising to reign.
Devotion
It’s the first day of a new week and the words of this hymn extol the majestic embrace of God’s victory in Christ. “Let all the earth sing his glory and fame, ocean and mountain, stream, forest and flower, echo his praise and tell of his power.” How different life can be when these words soak into our parched souls.
Echoes of Ascension Day still linger as we sing, “Ever ascending the song and the joy, ever descending the love from on high.” Jesus’ word to Nathaniel in John 2, “you will see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man,” is given a poetic twist and as we sing, we are caught up in the fulfillment of his promise. Jacob’s ancient dream is given new shape and meaning. Our lives, claimed by grace in the cross and resurrection, are lifted and transformed.
What a way to begin the new week, with a song on our lips and imprinted on our lives, giving “glory and praise to the Lamb.” What difference will it make to the world, you may well ask? Perhaps nothing notable, but it will make all the difference in the world to you.
Tomorrow is not simply a return to the ordinary and the daily, but a fresh chance to “echo his praise and tell of his power.” You could sing it, but better yet, live it.
Prayer
Hear us, O God, as we offer our confessions of failure and claim only your power and mercy. Teach us daily to walk in peace for the sake of this world that you have loved so much that you sent your only Son to die for it, and raised him in glory that we might live for it. In Christ’s name, Amen.