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
As the first week of Advent closes and a new one begins, let us consider how each day, each moment, is a new opportunity to be aware of and welcome divine love. In the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” we sing “Alpha and Omega be; / end of faith, as its beginning, / set our hearts at liberty.” Jesus is the beginning of faith, and the one working in our hearts and minds to complete that faith in us. We have the gift of divine love, the Holy Spirit, to fuel and empower us through the long nights of Advent and in every moment of our lives.
Prayer
Breathe, oh, breathe thy loving Spirit into every heart with peace, love, and liberty. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.