Sabbath beauty...

For the Beauty of the Earth by Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917).

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. 
 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. 
 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. 
 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. 
 For Thy Church, that evermore Lifteth holy hands above, Offering up on every shoreHer pure sacrifice of love.
   
 Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise. 
 For the martyrs’ crown of light, For Thy prophets’ eagle eye, For Thy bold confessors’ might, For the lips of infancy.
   
 Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise. 
 For Thy virgins’ robes of snow, For Thy maiden mother mild, For Thyself, with hearts aglow, Jesu, Victim undefiled.
   
 Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise. 
 For each perfect gift of Thine, To our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.
   
 Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.

Proclaiming the excellence of Him who called me out of darkness...

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

While cleaning out old files recently - files that have been stored away for years - I was thrilled to find the outline of a talk I had given to a women's group at least ten years ago. In my talk, I had applied the characteristics of light to ways God had revealed Himself to me. You would have to know the stronghold fear held on my life - for decades - to understand how precious the truth of Psalm 27 is to me. 

Maybe as I have time over the summer I'll elaborate, but I'll share the outline for now:

Light shows us the way out of darkness... "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." John 12:46 

Light shows us the way in darkness... "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8

Light reveals what is hiding in the darkness... "He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light." Job 12:22 "But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible" Ephesians 5:13 

Light heals... "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 

Light shines through "cracks" and weaknesses... "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." II Corinthians 4:5-6 

Light attracts... "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Philippians 2:14-16 

Light reflects... "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you." Isaiah 60:1-2

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 

a people for his own possession, 

that you may proclaim the excellencies of him 

who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 

I Peter 2:9