Sixth Sunday After Epiphany(Year C)
Unifying Theme: |
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| Scripture | Theme | Hymns |
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| Jeremiah 17:5-10 | Trust in the Lord leads to blessing; trust in man leads only to curses |
337: Only Trust Him 462: 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus 467: Trust and Obey 701: When We All Get to Heaven |
| Psalm 1 | Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord |
92: For the Beauty of the Earth 163: Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know 679: O Splendor of God's Glory Bright |
| Luke 6:17-26 | Beatitudes and woes |
369: Blessed Assurance 600: Wonderful Words of Life |
| 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 | Christ is risen indeed! |
302: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today 303: The Day of Resurrection |
I love reading the first account of creation in Genesis. "In the beginning..." Each day God created, and at the end He looked at it and said, "It is good." At the end of the process He looked at everything and said, "It is very good." Whenever I look upon creation, I try to see it the way that God did.
Folliot Pierpoint saw the world that way. At the age of 29, he was so taken by the sights and sounds and senses that he penned the words of this week's featured hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth. It was written as communion hymn, and the last line of each stanza originally read, "this our sacrifice of praise."
On reading the words, a connection with communion is not the first thing that springs to mind. The beauty of the earth. The glory of the skies. Day and night. Sun and moon. They all focus on the creation around us. Where is communion? Perhaps asking these questions helps us find a communion message that we can carry with us everywhere we go. We have the opportunity for communion with God every second of every day, and we have reminders around us in everything that we see. In every breath we take. In every step we take. In every sip of cool water.
The next time that you take communion, remember Christ, the Living Word. Remember that He was in the beginning at creation. Remember that He will be there in the new creation. Most of all, remember Him.
Remember your Lord as you ponder these words:
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1. For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
2. For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
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3. For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight, for the mystic harmony, linking sense to sound and sight; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
4. For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
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5. For thy church, that evermore lifteth holy hands above, offering up on every shore her pure sacrifice of love; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
6. For thyself, best Gift Divine, to the world so freely given, for that great, great love of thine, peace on earth, and joy in heaven: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. |
May you raise grateful praise in communion with the Lord as you remember Him with every step and with every breath and with every sight and sound and scent in God's wondrous creation!
God bless you--
Lection at HymnSite.com
God bless you!
| Passages suggested are from The Revised Common Lectionary: Consultation on Common Texts (Abingdon Press, 1992) copyright © by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Reprinted with permission of CCT. |