“In Thee is Gladness,” ELW 867
Devotion
In thee is gladness amid all sadness,
Jesus, sunshine of my heart.
By thee are given the gifts of heaven,
thou the true redeemer art.
Our souls thou wakest; our bonds thou breakest.
Who trusts thee surely has built securely
and stands forever: Alleluia!
Our hearts are pining to see thy shining,
dying or living, to thee are cleaving;
naught can us sever: Alleluia!
Jesus is ours! We fear no powers,
not of earth or sin or death.
He sees and blesses in worst distresses;
he can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story tell of his glory
with heart and voices; all heav'n rejoices
in him forever: Alleluia!
We shout for gladness, triumph o'er sadness,
love him and praise him and still shall raise him
glad hymns forever: Alleluia!
On those rare occasions when I was able to sit with our family in worship, I used to embarrass our young children because I was so enthusiastic in my hymn singing.
Sometimes they are still uncomfortable as they enter into their 40s and 50s and we, their parents, talk about our death and the celebration of our lives .They wonder why we would tell our pastor that we want joyful hymns like these sung at our funeral as we anticipate sharing in the resurrection of our Lord. Hopefully, when the time comes, their fear of death and the normal sadness of grief will not prevent them from joining in singing these hymns with enthusiasm—and maybe even risking a bit of embarrassment to the next generation.
Prayer
Lord, in thee is gladness, amid all sadness, Jesus sunshine of my heart. Al-le-lu-ia! Amen.