O Morning Far Beyond Us: An Easter Liturgy In Poem

Celebrant:

O morning, far beyond us
Our time or grasp to touch
Strong day of life awakening
From underneath the dust

Part waters black and swirling
Dark night rend with your hand
Bright land of life revealing
Bright sun of love command

Community:

Let this our anthem be
Our celebration prize
That Christ has healed our wounds
And with him now we rise.

Celebrant:

O morning’s tender moment
Our days and grief request
Break full upon our wand’rings
And fill each hollow breast

Divide the shadow brooding
Divorce the Eden curse
With sword of love and beauty
Free hearts and minds coerced

Community:

Let this our anthem be
Our celebration prize
That Christ has healed our wounds
And with him now we rise

Celebrant:

Could mysteries of ages
All quests of humankind
Find their unlocking waiting
Behind a stone in time

When first a movement glimmered
Behind the veil of death
That morning far beyond us
Now gives eternal breath

Celebrant & Community:

Let this our anthem be
Our celebration prize
That Christ has healed our wounds
And with him now we rise.

Amen and amen.

Celebrant:

Let’s turn and great one another on this glad Easter morning.

AVAILABLE NOW

Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace help us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. Sheltering Mercy helps the reader pray Psalms 1-75; Endless Grace leads in prayer through Psalms 76-150.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. Each book contains 75 prayers drawn from the Book of Psalms, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning there. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

These artful, poetic, and classic devotional books are a perfect gift, and feature compelling stunning illustrations and hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms. Co-written with Ryan Whitaker Smith, Brazos Publishing.

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