Archives for April 21, 2013

Devotion

Beautiful Savior,
King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love thee,
truly I'd serve thee,
light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

Fair are the meadows,
fair are the woodlands,
robed in flow'rs of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
he makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
fair is the moonlight,
bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine!

Springtime is my favorite time of the year. After the barrenness of winter with its insufficient light, the lengthening days raise my spirits. All of creation gives witness to the recreating work of God. Along with the returning birds, God does indeed "make our sorrowing spirits sing," so wonderfully phrased in the hymn, "Beautiful Savior."

We sang "Beautiful Savior" at my mother’s memorial service in late springtime of 1983. I continue to get choked up whenever I sing this hymn, even thirty years later. Hymns have a way of doing that to us. They are great bearers of emotion, helping us to express the nearly inexpressible.

That is the wonder of resurrection faith: even in the loss of loved ones we can sing praises to the goodness of God. Every spring is another foretaste and sign of God’s promise that death is not the last word.