“My Life Flows On in Endless Song,” ELW 763
Devotion
My life flows on in endless song;
above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Refrain
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing? Refrain
What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth. Refrain
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing? Refrain
It is not always clear in our beloved hymns that our faith and assurance of salvation is always personal, but it is never private. We are blessed to live under a constitution where there is a clear separation of church and state. Accordingly, I do not need to accept that the dominance of a particular faith tradition will oppress me or my neighbor of a different faith or no faith.
In the midst of earth's lamentations and all the tumult and the strife, my faith has a public witness or expression. Even in the midst of the darkness "the Lord my savior liveth." Some may fear that when we move beyond a personal or private faith we have moved into a political danger zone. Yet God calls us to live in the tension of a deeply personal faith that yet calls us to public advocacy for justice, singing songs in the night prisons like Paul and Silas.
Prayer
Lord, turn our joy of singing into fountains of justice for all people in your new creation. Amen.