There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 588)
1 There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in his justice Which is more than liberty
There is no place where earth’s sorrows Are more felt than up in heav’n.
There is no place where earth’s failings Have kindly judgment giv’n.
2 There is a welcome for the sinner, And a promised grace made good;
There is a mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
There is grace enough for thousands Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations In that upper home of bliss.
3 For the love of God is broader Than the measures of our mind;
And the heart of the eternal Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the head.
4 ‘Tis not all we owe to Jesus; It is something more than all:
Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of the Lord.
Text: Frederick W. Faber; Music: North American; Public Domain
Devotion
Dr. Forde, former professor at Luther Seminary, liked to suggest that “Are you saved?” is not a good question. The question should rather be “What are you saved for?” His answer was succinct: “Your neighbor.”
Jesus’ call to repent is a liberating word inviting us to live in the grace and forgiveness of Christ. Our response can find us entering into the wideness of serving the world with God’s love for all.
Each stanza of this hymn opens with a line that could give rise to entire sermons. There is a wideness in God’s mercy, and welcome for the sinner. The love of God, broader than our ability to comprehend, sends us to serve in joy. We owe something more than all, which might well be another way of saying that we are saved by grace.
May God’s wide mercy be with you in all you do, and may you be a gift for God’s world in need.
Prayer
O God, in the wideness of your mercy, embrace us with your love, and send us with purpose and joy to be bearers of your justice and peace. Amen.