“Now Thank We All Our God,” ELW 839 and LBW 533
1 Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms, has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
2 Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessčd peace to cheer us;
And keep us all in grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all harm in this world and the next!
3 All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son, and Spirit blest, who reign in highest heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Devotion
When I am down I think of another chaplain, Martin Rinkart. In 1636, amid the darkness of what history has named the Thirty Years War, this German pastor knew tragedy on a scale no pastor in my generation has even contemplated. By circumstance and volition, he served both civilian and soldier as they collected themselves in his home town of Eilenburg. The countryside of Germany ran red with the blood of both peasants and soldiers.
Think of the devastation wrought by a war lasting thirty years. The blade and the spear killed many, but hunger and disease killed thousands more. The annals of history record that in 1636 brother Martin buried four thousand of his neighbors, family and friends.
However, Martin’s legacy to us is not his biography. It is his music. In the face of utter tragedy, Martin has taught us to sing about thankfulness. These are his words.
Prayer
Lord, give us courage to be faithful through the tough times. Thank you for the witness of your servant Martin. Amen.