Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, ELW 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!
Devotion
From beginning to end our story as God's people is formed and accompanied by God's divine love. As we follow Christ's light into our daily lives we begin to catch a glimpse of a God whose daily work goes before us. Hope, help and healing become the marks of God's presence and we are invited to share them freely and fully as we trust in Jesus who leads the way. As Christ's light opens up new pathways for faithful living, we are invited to open our eyes to God's activity and open our mouths in praise of our God who will not let us forget that every day is a gift and every moment is an opportunity to serve God and our neighbor with joy and thanksgiving. From glory into glory this steadfast, enduring, divine love of God has changed us; yesterday, today and forever.
Prayer
Gracious God, you whose love is without end, give all your people courage to follow you into life. Mark our lives with your faithfulness and light the way to life for all. Amen.