The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Has Ended, ELW 569
1 The day you gave us, Lord, has ended;
the darkness falls at your behest.
To you our morning hymns ascended;
your praise shall hallow now our rest.
2 We thank you that your church, unsleeping while earth rolls onward into light,
through all the world its watching is keeping,
and never rests by day or night.
3 As to each continent and island the dawn leads on another day,
the voice of prayer is never silent,
nor dies the strain of praise away.
4 The sun, here having set, is waking your children under western skies,
and hour by hour, as day is breaking,
fresh hymns of thankful praise arise.
5 So be it, Lord; your realm shall never, like earth's proud empires, pass away;
but stand and grow and rule forever,
till all your creatures own your sway.
Devotion
One of my favorite evening hymns is "The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Has Ended." I like the way this hymn focuses our attention that the day that is ending is a gift from God. I sometimes forget to give thanks to God for another day. The hymn reminds us that as time rolls on, toward another day, God's church is not at rest. We may rest but others are awake, working and praying. Continuous prayer is always being offered up somewhere in the world. The cycle of the setting of the sun, allowing us to rest, is waking up others in another time zone, calling them to arise and offer God thankful praise. The creation also waits its turn to join in a prayer of gratitude.
Prayer
Lord, give us a song to sing at the beginning and at the close of each day. Amen.