Lost in Wonder, Love and Praise!

Finish, then, thy new creation;

Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in thee;

Changed from glory into glory

Till in Heav'n we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before thee,

Lost in wonder, love, and praise!

This well known hymn written by the great hymn writer Charles Wesley ends with the line "Lost in wonder, love and praise!" and when I heard it sung in church this week, I thought of the delight it must be to be lost in that great trinity of emotions. In the Episcopal church, we have a supplement to our hymnal called Wonder, Love and Praise. It is an eclectic collection of hymns and spiritual songs including service music and devotional pieces. It is always fun to discover lines from old hymns and or scripture that have been used today.

Back to the delightful place of being "lost in wonder, love and praise." As we all continue to be horrified by the flood in Texas that killed so many children and adults, where do we find grace in this line? How do we console those whose loved ones were washed away by an aberration of nature? Being "lost in wonder, love and praise" does not only happen in times of joy and happiness, but perhaps it is a place of comfort in great tragedy as well. Despite the abhorrent pain of grief, the peace that passes all understanding can propel us into the wonder, love and praise of the glory of God where we are perfectly restored. "In heaven where we take our place, The new creation, pure and spotless let them be...lost in wonder, love and praise."