Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 843)
1 Praise the One who breaks the darkness
with a liberating light;
praise the One who frees the pris’ners,
turning blindness into sight.
Praise the One who preached the gospel,
healing ev’ry dread disease,
calming storms and feeding thousands
with the very bread of peace.
2 Praise the One who blessed the children
with a strong yet gentle word;
praise the One who drove out demons
with a piercing, two-edged sword.
Praise the One who brings cool water
to the desert’s burning sand;
from this well comes living water
quenching thirst in ev’ry land.
3 Praise the one true love incarnate:
Christ, who suffered in our place;
Jesus died and rose for many
that we may know God by grace.
Let us sing for joy and gladness,
seeing what our God has done.
Praise the one redeeming glory;
praise the One who makes us one.
Text: Rusty Edwards; Music: J. Wyeth, Repository of Sacred Music
Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A730924
Devotion
Another hymn by Luther Seminary alumnus, Pastor Rusty Edwards, this one summarizes how Jesus lived out God’s plan for the world. Given reminders, how can we not respond with praise and joy for what God has done and continues to do through us?
In this Epiphany season of light and revelation of the gift of Christmas, this hymn gives us an illuminating glimpse of God’s amazing gift of grace and reasons to worship, offering up praise and singing with joy and gladness.
I’ve known teens who have modeled this. One chose to be a regular acolyte at the Saturday service. When asked about his motivation, he responded, “I don’t HAVE to worship. I GET to worship and serve.” When one teen asked to preach at his own Affirmation of Baptism, I remarked to another who was to be confirmed the following year, “You DO know that you don’t have to preach, don’t you?” His response: “But what if I want to?” And he did.
Prayer
Praise be to you, O God, for all you have given us. Inspire within us the desire to gather for worship so that we may be nurtured and sent into your world to live for your purposes. Amen.