Sunday Hymns - Joyful, Joyful

Good morning!

I'm officially back on the internet again after a little hiatus.  Its a bittersweet thing, because I suspect that in a relatively short time I will be hooked again, but for the moment, I am enjoying the freedom of having broken my addiction to television, facebook and the internet.  It feels wonderful to finally have taken the time to do things I always want to do, but could "never find the time" for.  Its truly amazing to me how much time the American public wastes on entertainment.  Shortly before my break from the internet I realized that I was often concerned about "catching up on my shows" when I missed TV shows that I like, but never felt quite as much pressure to "catch up" if I missed reading my Bible for a day, or spending time in prayer and worship.  So my purpose in taking a break was to realign my priorities to a point where I don't mind missing TV, but can't wait to sit down and read or pray.  I trust that the Lord will help me continue in this direction.

One of my goals for this coming year is to take every Sunday morning and post a hymn on my blog.  I want to do this because for a long time, I have loved the depth and power of some of the hymns that are left more or less unsung in many American churches these days.  I grew up singing hymns and they will always hold a special place in my heart.  I will start with some of my favorites, but as I spend time reading through a hymnal (you read that sentence correctly), I plan to post some of my "newly discovered gems" as well.  

This week I am excited to post "Joyful, Joyful, We adore Thee" - this is one of my favorite hymns, but also one which has found new life recently and is soon going to become a favorite in my church and many other churches around America.  Enjoy. :)

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the 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.

All thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou are giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest, well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou are Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are thine; Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

This is a great hymn and I love it for its focus on God and the way His creation points to His greatness.  We truly can trust in a God who loves us enough to create so many amazing things as signs of His might and glory.  Do you know how deep the oceans are?  They are nothing compared to His glory.  Do you know many mountains there are?  They were each created by His hand.  Do you realize that He created everything in between and beyond?  Wow!  What an amazing God.  We can rest in joy, even in the midst of our struggles and doubts because He is always at the Center.  He is never changing; always blessing; giving and forgiving.

Enjoy this version by Brenton Brown:

Have a great Sunday, friends!