Here in this place, new light is streaming
now is the darkness vanished away.
See, in this space, our fears and our dreamings,
brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in - the lost and forsaken,
gather us in - the blind and the lame.
Call to us now, and we shall awaken,
we shall arise at the sound of our name
Twenty years ago, I served United Lutheran Church in Eugene, OR as their tenth intern.
The first verse of the hymn “Gather Us In” will always be a part of my memory of internship because of the line “Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in, the blind and the lame” During the singing of the hymn, members of United Lutheran marched into the worship space, including a man who was blind and a woman who was lame.
It dawned on me as I sang the hymn, here is a vision of God’s kingdom here on earth today, fulfilled in my midst.
Tears rolled down my cheek as I sought to compose myself for the beginning of the worship service, struck by the emotion of the moment. “How in the world did a church hymn strike deep into my heart and give me a vision of God’s kingdom?”
“Here in this place, new light is streaming
Now is the darkness vanished away
See in this space, our fears and our dreamings
Brought here to you in the light of this day.”
May the music we sing and play during worship bring us each a glimpse of God’s kingdom breaking in among us.
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