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 Christmas morning we are greeted with love: a “love divine, all loves excelling.” The love of Christ surpasses any kind of love we can give, receive, or imagine ourselves. As the Word made flesh, Jesus takes on human life and experiences all that it means to be human: to rejoice, to weep, to suffer, to delight, to die. Yet Jesus is not limited by his humanity. As the one who is fully human and fully God, Jesus offers us unending grace beyond all human capacity.
The hymn reminds us that as we celebrate the birth of Jesus each year, we also proclaim our sure and certain hope that Jesus will receive us into God’s kingdom, where we may praise God forever. We think of those who have gone before us, who have already cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet and serve him with joy. Thanks be to God that each Christmas we can experience a taste of heaven’s joy come down to earth, until “in heav’n we take our place.” Merry Christmas!
Prayer
“Come, Almighty, to deliver, let us all thy life receive!” Enter our hearts this Christmas. Give us the courage and joy to serve our neighbors with justice and compassion—and keep us ever mindful of your unlimited love. Amen.