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
And so we close this week’s preparation for Holy Week, singing with our entire being the praise we cannot help but pour out. Some songs carry memories that go beyond our current moment, pulling through time the hopes, dreams, and anguish of previous communities. This hymn carries with it the whole sweep of our journey, and in this last stanza reminds us that Christ’s passion is for us, given freely, that we might receive it freely.
Prayer
Lord God, you came to us as one of us, showing us how the vulnerability and fragility of a human being could yet bear your light and your love. Hear our praise, help us to remember this free gift that you have given us, and draw us into sharing it out widely. Amen.