“Oh Wondrous Image, Vision Fair,” ELW 316
Devotion
Oh, wondrous image, vision fair
of glory that the church may share,
which Christ upon the mountain shows,
where brighter than the sun he glows!
With Moses and Elijah nigh
the'incarnate Lord holds converse high,
and from the cloud, the Holy One
says, "This is my beloved Son."
With shining face and bright array,
Christ deigns to manifest today
what glory shall be theirs above
who joy in God with perfect love.
And faithful hearts are raised on high
by this great vision's mystery;
for which in joyful song we raise
the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
O Father, with the'eternal Son,
and Holy Spirit, ever one,
we pray you, bring us by your grace
to see your glory face to face.
Once again this hymn invites us to an experience of discovery as we ponder images of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Epiphany opens up the consideration of many different aspects of Jesus' ministry with his disciples in a wide variety of people and situations. Verse one’s reference to the "wondrous image, vision fair of glory that the church may share," points to this glorious vision of the One who is our source of life, the One who came to share the truth of God to a desperate and needy world.
The five stanzas of this hymn draw out for us everything from the birth of our Savior to the exaltation of Jesus, who conquers sin, death and the power of the devil. As our Lord and Savior, Jesus through the Holy Spirit gives us the power to claim victory in our daily walk and our life's mission and ministry. We are assured, now and always, by the power of Christ’s presence with us and by the victory through his suffering, death and resurrection—even as we discover the epiphany of what Jesus wants to do for us and within us wherever we are in our walk with him.
Prayer
O Father, with the eternal Son, and Holy Spirit ever one, we pray you, bring us by your grace to see your glory face to face. Amen.