“For the Beauty of the Earth” #89 (all verses)

 

Verse 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. 

 

Verse 2: For the beauty of each hour

of the day and of the night, 

hill and vale and tree and flow’r, 

sun and moon and stars of light: 

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise. 

 

Verse 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. 

 

Verse 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. 

 

Verse 5: For thy church that evermore

lifteth holy hands above, 

of’fring up on ev’ry shore

her pure sacrifice of love: 

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise. 

 

 

“Now thank we all our God” #86 (Verse 3 only)

Verse 3: All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given, 

the Son, and him who reigns with them in highest heaven, 

the one eternal God, whom earth and heav’n adore, 

for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore. 

 

 

 

“Praise God from whom” #119

Verse 1: Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

praise him all creatures here below;

praise him above ye heavn’ly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

 

Verse 2: Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

in heav’n above and earth below;

one God three persons we adore. 

To God be praise forevermore. 

Amen

 

The First Word: Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

 

Leader: When we stand at the edge of fear and worry,

Leader: When we stand at the edge of the world’s pain and need,

Leader: When we stand at the edge of our hunger and thirst:

 

 

Hymn: “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee” #71

 

Verse 1: Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love.
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before thee, praising thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

Verse 2: All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heav’n reflect thy rays,
stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in thee.

Verse 3: Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever bless’d,
well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are thine.
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Verse 4: Mortals, join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began.
Love divine is reigning o’er us, leading us with mercy’s hand.
Ever singing, march we on-ward, victors in the midst of strife.
 

 

Morning Psalm: Psalm 1 

 

Hymn: “Oh God, Beyond All Face and Form” (tune is hymn #300 “O Holy Spirit, making whole”)

 

Verse 1: O God, beyond all face and form, you willed it that creation’s night

should blaze, and chaos still its storm, and birth a universe of light.

 

Refrain: All things below, all things above are formed of your eternal love.

 

Verse 2: The glory of the galaxies, the beauty of a baby’s hand,

the thundering of the restless seas, the glory of a forest’s stand. (Refrain)

 

Verse 3: You gave our race both form and name and love for us was your intent;

then to a woman’s womb love came, and on a cross was wholly spent. (Refrain)

 

Verse 4: Of this great love all loves are born, of self, of neighbor, and of earth.

By love shall night be turned to morn, and death shall never conquer birth. (Refrain)

 

Music: John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876) tune is Melita #540 and #300 in hymnal

 

 

Sharing the Life of Our Church ( Share your joys and concerns, praises and testimonies). 

 

 

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:34-46 

 

Message: “It’s Coming, Can You See It?” 

 

Hymn: “The church’s one foundation” #311         

      

Verse 1: The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. 

She is his new creation by water and the word. 

From heav’n he came and sought her to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died. 

 

Verse 2: Elect from ev’ry nation yet one o’er all the earth, 

her charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth. 

One holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food, 

and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued. 

 

Verse 3: Though with scornful wonder the world sees her oppressed, 

by schisms rent asunder, by her-e-sies distressed, 

yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?”

And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. 

 

Verse 4: ‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, 

she waits the consummation of peace forevermore, 

till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are bless’d, 

and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest. 

 

Verse 5: Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three-in-One, 

and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. 

Oh, happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we,

like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with thee.