Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 631)
1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heav’n, to earth come down!
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter ev’ry trembling heart.
2 Breathe, oh, breathe thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast;
let us all in thee inherit;
Let us find thy promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
3 Come, Almighty, to deliver;
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
4 Finish then thy new creation,
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee!
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise!
Text: Chares Wesley; Music: Rowland H. Prichard; Public Domain
Devotion
This hymn is packed full of images that capture the heart of what we have reflected on in this past week. God’s authority in our lives is powerful and all-encompassing. Yet, God does not wield that authority like a taskmaster or a drill sergeant. Instead, God exercises authority toward us with a heart of compassion. God fashions a divine dwelling in us, even when our hearts are trembling. God takes up residence in each of us with mercy and care. Amazingly, we discover that the humble dwelling of our heart is big enough to contain God’s unbounded love. As we continue singing, we hear that those humble dwelling places have become temples full of wonder, love, and praise. And from those temples, God will never depart.
Prayer
Powerful and compassionate God, we are overwhelmed at the recognition that you take up residence in us, and that you have promised never to leave. Guide us to make of our hearts welcoming places where our neighbors also can find refuge and joy. Amen.