Happy Spring Everyone

As it is spring, and it feels as if everything is in bloom around us, I could not help but think of an old-time favorite hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth” This month, let us look at the first verse of this hymn here and then I suggest you go ahead and sing the rest of it yourself or as a group. How fun would that be? The remainder of this hymn may be found in other hymnals and on-line. From the New Century Hymnal #28, Verse 1: “For the beauty of the earth, for the splendor of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, God of all, to you we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”

*For the beauty (generally a female term for lovely, belle, vision, spectacle, marvel, something worth seeing).

*Of the earth (globe, planet, sphere, orb, soil, silt, ground). The place God has made for us to care for and live in.

*For the splendor (magnificence, luxury, great beauty, the Anglo-Norman French term splendor arouse from the word splendere “shine, be bright”).

*Of the skies (atmosphere, firmament, vault of heaven). *For the love (warmth, intimacy, endearment, adoration, worship, treasure, a complex

emotion that involves commitment, vulnerability, support).

*Which from our birth (delivery, bring forth into the world, to bear).

*Over and around us lies (“O Lord, you have searched me and know me.” Psalm 139:1).

*God (I AM, Supreme Being, Almighty, Deity, Messiah, Redeemer, divine, principal object of faith).

*Of all (every, each, entirely, complete, total, absolutely, perfect, the whole of one’s energy).

*To You we raise (elevate, lift, hoist, boost, amplify).

*This our hymn (carol, chant, praise, welcome, psalm, introit, doxology, eulogy, a type of song specifically for the purpose of worship to God).

*Of grateful (indebted, obliged, appreciative, expression of thanksgiving, gratitude).

*Praise (applaud, compliment, acclaim, a form of social interaction expressing

recognition and admiration).

Okay, that is a lot of information. Now, let us take a moment to review only the parts that I have underlined. Maybe you may wish to go back and underline different words and see what your new paragraph would look like. As for me this is what I underlined.

Something worth seeing, planet, shine be bright, vault of heaven, emotion that involves commitment, 

to bear, principal object of faith, every, the whole of one’s energy, elevate, specifically for the purpose 

of worship to God, appreciative, social interaction, admiration. Now if you will allow, let me make this read better.

This is how I put that together. The earth and all that is in it is something that is worth seeing, and we are to shine our lives toward the vault of heaven with an emotional commitment to our object of faith. All our energy and focus should be elevated specifically for the purpose of worshipping God. We are to appreciate the Lord through social interaction and admiration. In all we, do may we do it in the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ. AMEN!     

Peace and Love,

Pastor Cheryl Rieder                                                               ~Sources used Google search and Wikipedia.