All People That on Earth Do Dwell, ELW 883
Devotion
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell;
come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the Lord is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make.
We are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
Oh, enter then his gates with praise;
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why? The Lord our God is good:
His mercy is forever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the God whom heav'n and earth adore,
from us and from the angel host
be praise and glory evermore.
The preacher's voice suddenly sang out "love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage." That's all I remember about that sermon, but the words frame for me one of the truths of this week’s readings&mdashrighteousness and justice go together—"you can't have one without the other." Goodness and mercy go together—"you can't have one without the other." And we can't have either except in Christ whose goodness and righteousness overflow into lives which embody justice and mercy.
Verse four invites us to confess "The Lord our God is good: his mercy is forever sure; his truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure." Let us give thanks that the depth and height and width of God's righteousness and mercy is as gracious and limitless today as it was when the lessons for this week were written by people of faith so long ago.
Prayer
God of all, hear our loud, sometimes off-key, voices, hear our quiet tentative songs and hear our whispers in awe as we join all heaven and earth in adoration. Dwelling together on earth, empower us to do your will in all the world, in Jesus’ name. Amen.