There in God’s Garden (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 342)
1 There in God’s garden
stands the Tree of Wisdom,
Whose leaves hold forth
the healing of the nations:
Tree of all knowledge,
Tree of all compassion,
Tree of all beauty.
2 Its name is Jesus,
name that says, “Our Savior!”
There on its branches see
the scars of suff’ring
See there the tendrils
of our human selfhood
feed on its lifeblood.
3 Thorns not its own
are tangled in its foliage;
Our greed has starved it,
our despite has choked it.
Yet, look! It lives!
Its grief has not destroyed it
nor fire consumed it.
4 See how its branches
reach to us in welcome;
Hear what the Voice says,
“Come to me, ye weary!
Give me your sickness,
give me all your sorrow,
I will give blessing.”
5 This is my ending,
This my resurrection;
Into your hands,
Lord, I commit my spirit.
This have I searched for;
Now I can possess it.
This ground is holy.
6 All heav’n is singing,
“Thanks to Christ whose
passion offers in mercy
Healing, strength, and pardon.
Peoples and nations,
Take it, take it freely!”
Amen! My Master!
Text: Király Imre von Pécselyi; Music K. Lee Scott.
Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A730924
Devotion
“There in God’s Garden stands the Tree of Wisdom.” In the garden of Eden, there stood the tree of which Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat. The serpent said of this tree, “when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.” Of all the lies and temptations of our human race, this one is truly the primal sin—that we want to be gods ourselves—idolatry. But only the One, True God, our Creator and Redeemer, can be for us the source of life, and when we seek to replace God with anything else, it is the source of all our sorrows and disasters. On another tree, this one at Golgotha, God once again and for all times sought to draw us back and save us from ourselves. Oh, if we could only draw near to God and nestle in the safety of God’s care!
Prayer
God of all love, remind us that we belong to you, our source of all life. Amen.