Oh, Wondrous Image, Vision Fair (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 316)
1 O wondrous image! O vision fair
Of glory that the Church may share,
Which Christ upon the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun He glows!
2 With Moses and Elijah nigh
The incarnate Lord holds converse high;
And from the cloud the Holy One
Bears record to the only Son.
3 With shining face and bright array
Christ deigns to manifest today
What glory shall be theirs above
Who joy in God with perfect love.
4 And faithful hearts are raised on high
By this great vision’s mystery,
For which in joyful strains we raise
The voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
5 O Father, with the eternal Son
And Holy Spirit ever one,
We pray Thee, bring us by Thy grace
To see Thy glory face to face.
Text: Sarum, 15th century; Music: English ballad; Public Domain
Devotion
After four stanzas of descriptive poetry, our hymn this week ends with a profound prayer, joining the mystery of the Transfiguration to us and us to the Trinity. The prayer that we may see God’s glory face to face connects our prayer life to the prayer life of Jesus, who prayed to God the Father before he was betrayed and crucified, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:22) All by God’s grace, all by God’s grace. We’ve covered a lot of ground this week, and through it all the word from the Lord has been clear: “You are my Son, my beloved. Do not be afraid. Gather and return to the Lord who is abounding in steadfast love.” Be encouraged, be strengthened. For there’s more journeying ahead.
Prayer
O Lord, open our eyes to see you, our ears to hear you, our minds to know you, our hearts to love you, our mouths to proclaim you, and our hands to serve you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.