I thought of so many photos to go with this song of praise, and yet, I felt it best appreciated solely for its wonderful words...
Celebrate the Sabbath today with a song of JOY-FULL praise...
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
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,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring 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.
Mortals, join the happy chorus,
which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
in the triumph song of life.
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,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring 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.
Mortals, join the happy chorus,
which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
in the triumph song of life.
Today is also the celebration of a blog-iversary for me... my 200th post!! And, I would love to celebrate it with you, my faithful "followers" and readers, with a little contest. For all the kind and encouraging words and delightful smiles you've given me with the comments you've left me on these 200 posts, I'd like to give someone the opportunity to win a little prize. I make blank greeting cards with my photos, and I would love to treat one of my blogging friends with a little packet of them. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. I will close the contest on Tuesday, Feb 17th at 10am PST, and will randomly select one of the names as the winner. Have a wonderful Sabbath, my friends!* * * * *
edit 2/23/09 -- my sincere apologies for being so SLOW in getting the winner announced!! i did a double-blind random choosing (that is, written your names on equal-sized pieces of paper, folded them exactly the same, and put them in a bowl from which my co-worker chose the winning name!) of the winner... (drum roll, please....).... and the winner is.....
JERRI!!
Love this post. One of the things Daddy has really been trying to get me to do in the my two weeks of misery is to not look at the misery, but rejoice anyway.
ReplyDeleteYeah, verily! Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord and rejoice in Him forever!
Sharilyn dear, Congratulations on your 200th post!! I missed church yesterday, so Iwas trying to make up the worship by contemplating on the song above. The lyrics so happen to resound my innermost thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad whenever God shows me that He cares, in personal way like this. =) I know that He wants me to be joyful, and I'm sure He's giving me reasons to. =)
What a lovely post, plus the chance to win a surprize! =D
Oh yeah! Pick me! :) You are really creative ... not just photography, but cards. That's awesome! Have a blessed week. I am intending too! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Sharilyn! Keep 'em coming.
ReplyDeletealrighty then... the contestants are Jerri, Stardust, Debra, and Billy... odds are great! (especially compared to the Lotto!!)
ReplyDeletei'll put all names in a hat later today and draw a name and let you know who is the big winner! :)