God of Grace and God of Glory (ELW 705, focus on verse 3)
1 God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your pow’r;
crown your ancient church’s story;
bring its bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.
2 Lo! The hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail his ways!
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grand us courage
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.
3 Cure your children’s warring madness;
Bend our pride to your control;
Shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grand us courage,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal.
4 Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the gift of your salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
serving you whom we adore,
serving you whom we adore.
Devotion
The conflicts in the world can’t change if we don’t change how we see the world. What powers our warring madness? Might it be a view of the world as one of limited instead of plentiful resources from God’s generosity? Could it be the curse of serving only ourselves instead of sharing the goodness of God’s creation? God’s grace opens our eyes; Christ’s love and gift of freedom help us see our world and our place in it with renewed vision. And from this vantage point we follow God’s grace to newness and possibility.
Prayer
God of grace, open our eyes to your love and help us see your abundance. And seeing this great gift, empower us to share it with all others. In Jesus name. Amen.