“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 sanctify our rest.
2 We thank you that your Church unsleeping,
while earth rolls onwards into light,
through all the world her watch is keeping,
nor rests from worship day or night.
3 As o'er each continent and island
the dawn leads on another day,
the voice of prayer is never silent,
nor dies the song of praise away.
4 The sun that bids us rest is waking
your children 'neath the western sky,
and hour by hour fresh lips are making
your wondrous deeds resound on high.
5 So be it, Lord! your throne shall never,
like earths proud empires, pass away;
your kingdom stands and grows forever,
till all your creatures own your sway.
Devotion
This grand song has been in several Lutheran hymnals. We don’t get to sing it very often, though, because it is an evening hymn.
It is enjoyable for its modern cosmology; the earth spins on its axis on its trek around the sun:
“We thank you that your church, unsleeping while earth rolls onward into light,
through all the world its watch is keeping, and never rests by day or night.”
It delights with its poetic beauty:
“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.”
It is grand for the constant praise that emanates from the whole Christian Church on earth:
“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.”
Rest in peace!
Prayer
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. Amen.