“Creator of the Stars of Night,” Verse 4 (ELW 245)
Devotion
Come in your holy might, we pray,
redeem us for eternal day;
defend us while we dwell below
from all assaults of our dread foe.
I once had a religion professor who was so soft spoken that the front of the classroom used to fill up first so students could actually hear him. This man also happened to be short and thin. His whole aura radiated not wanting to take up space.
So I was shocked when I saw my professor speaking at a large peace rally off campus. He shouted into the microphone with energy, volume and passion that I had no inkling he possessed. I came to understand that the change had to do with faith: in the classroom, he taught what other people thought about God. At that podium, he got to proclaim his own faith.
I remembered my professor when reading "holy might" in the fourth stanza of our hymn. We sing that God might come in "holy might" to redeem and defend us. Even as we sing, we can profess what we believe with holy passion now.
Prayer
Gracious God, enlighten in us your might for justice, redemption and peace. Amen.