“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy,” ELW 588
1 There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in his justice Which is more than liberty
There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heav'n.
There is no place where earth's failings Have kindly judgment giv'n.
2 There is a welcome for the sinner, And a promised grace made good;
There is a mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
There is grace enough for thousands Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations In that upper home of bliss.
3 For the love of God is broader Than the measures of our mind;
And the heart of the eternal Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the head.
4 'Tis not all we owe to Jesus; It is something more than all:
Greater good because of evil, Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of the Lord.
Devotion
This is another song of praise for the abundant, amazing mercy and grace of God that welcomes us home with our brother and friend, Jesus. How wide is the mercy and grace of God? It is as wide as the oceans. When we expect punishment and narrow judgment, “a kindly judgment is giv'n.”
That judgment is not the narrow one we put on ourselves and especially on others “when we make this love too narrow by false limits of our own; and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own.”
The hymn writer asks “How wide is that mercy and grace?” “There is welcome for the sinner, and a promised grace made good.” How much grace? “There is grace enough for thousands of new worlds as great as this; there is room for fresh creations in that upper home of bliss.” Wow! Praise the Lord.
Prayer
God of grace, widen our vision of the wideness of your mercy and grace. Living by your grace, widen our hearts to share that mercy and grace with all we meet. Amen.