“Oh, What Their Joy,” LBW 337
1 Oh, what their joy and their glory must be,
Those endless Sabbaths the blessed ones see!
Crowns for the valiant, to weary ones rest;
God shall be all, and in all ever blest.
2 In new Jerusalem joy shall be found,
Blessings of peace shall forever abound;
Wish and fulfillment are not severed there,
Nor the thing prayed for come short of their prayer.
3 We, where no trouble distraction can bring,
Safely the anthems of Zion shall sing;
While for your grace, Lord, their voices of praise
Your blessed people shall evermore raise.
4 Now let us worship our Lord and our King,
Joyfully raising our voices to sing:
Praise to the Father, and praise to the Son,
Praise to the Spirit, to God, Three in One.
Devotion
This hymn was translated by John Mason Neale, who, along with Catherine Winkworth, is commemorated today. The hymn depicts the joys of the saints in heaven who celebrate endless Sabbaths and praise God without ceasing. The hymn invites us to set our face and our hope towards this heavenly city of Jerusalem, much as Jesus set his face toward the earthly city of Jerusalem. In times of difficulty or when faith is tested, we can look to this heavenly city and know that God will carry us through and never fail us. We can remember the lives of the ordinary saints who have gone before us and be encouraged to live faithfully today. And when we gather for worship, we can trust that in some mysterious way, our praises join with the very praises sung in heaven.
Prayer
Redeemer God, thank you for making all things new in Christ. Amen.