For The Beauty Of The Earth

For The Beauty Of The Earth

1. 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. 

2. For the wonder of each hour, 

Of the day and of the night; 

Hill and vale and tree and flow'r, 

Sun and moon, and stars of light; 

Lord of all, to Thee we raise 

This, our hymn of grateful praise. 

3. 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. 

4. 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. 

5. For Thy church that evermore, 

Lifteth holy hands above; 

Off'ring up on ev'ry shore, 

Her pure sacrifice of love; 

Lord of all, to Thee we raise 

This, our hymn of grateful praise. 

Amen.

by Folliott S. Pierpont

Photo Credit:  kareni via www.pixabay.com

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 61: White As Snow

Key Verse

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 WEB

Lesson

There is an old hymn by James L. Nicholson that goes, “Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow, Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” It is curious to wonder what it is that makes snow white. Snow is water, which is clear. Ice is clear and so is water vapor that flows above a boiling pot. Why is snow any different? Snow is white no matter how you look at it. Look over a snow-covered field or mountain, it is white. Pick up a handful of snow, it is white. Pinch a bit of snow between your fingers, it is white.

Visible light appears as different colors. Each color of the rainbow consists of light waves vibrating at unique frequencies. Red light waves vibrate slowly. Blue light waves vibrate more quickly. When light hits an object, it may reflect some light waves, and absorb others. A blue object absorbs all light waves accept those that are blue. The blue light waves reflect and that is what we see making the object appear blue. It is the same for a yellow object and each color of the rainbow. A black object is slightly different, it absorbs all colors of light and so appears black.

A white object is exactly the opposite, it reflects all colors of light. A snow flake is a minute crystal with several surfaces. When the light hits these surfaces, it bounces in all directions. All colors of light reflect in every direction. When all the colors blend together the object appears white.

In the Bible sin is often described as a dark stain on our heart making it dirty. Thankfully Jesus came and sacrificed himself so that we can be forgiven of our sin. We are then pure and spotless again. Think of a clear sunny morning after a fresh snowfall and the blinding brilliant white that is so bright you can scarcely look at it. That is how pure Jesus promises to make your heart. In fact, when we receive the cleansing forgiveness of Jesus we become purer than snow. And then we can sing with Mr. Nicholson, “The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.”


Questions

What is your favorite snow related activity?

Why do you think purity is represented with the color white in the Bible?

What does it mean to have a pure and clean heart?

As a mostly good person, do you really need Jesus’ forgiveness?

Written by David F. Garner
 Photo Credit: Nick Mealey via www.flickr.com under a CC 2.0 license minor changes made.