Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, ELW 836 and LBW551
1 Joyful, joyful we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love!
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before thee,
praising thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
drive the gloom of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.
2 All thy works with joy surround thee,
earth and heav'n reflect thy rays,
stars and angels sing around thee,
center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird, and flowing fountain
call us to rejoice in thee.
3 Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,
all who live in love are thine;
teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine!
Devotion
“I give you joy.” It’s a common greeting among some people. It’s something like “Peace be with you,” and the response, “and also with you.”
Joy indeed. In our Matthew reading, we saw Jesus raise a young girl from the dead. Perhaps the hymn “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” is an enthusiastic and positive response to the new life that each of us has in Christ? I call it life with a capital “L.” What joy! We know that death has no claim on us and so we are free at last. We are free to be the persons we were intended to be; free to love one another.
The hymn writer describes it this way: “Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the gloom of doubt away.” You, Lord, are “the wellspring of the joy of living.”
And so, in Christ’s name, I give you joy.
Prayer
Lord, help us to repeat the sounding joy as far as the curse is found. Keep us true to the task you have set before us, to love one another and to make known the wonders of your love. We are joyful and we are pleased with this chance to adore you. Amen.