O God Beyond All Praising

Words: Michael Perry, sung to the tune of THAXTED

"O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end.
We lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your Word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

The flower of earthly splendor
in time must surely die,
its fragile bloom surrender
to you, the Lord most high;
but hidden from all nature
the eternal seed is sown -
though small in mortal stature,
to heaven's garden grown:
for Christ, your gift from heaven,
from death has set us free,
and we through him are given
the final victory.

Then hear, O gracious Savior,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
may serve you as our King;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise."

Sung last Sunday, with a kind of morose joy. O God, beyond all praising. 

I was sing-praying this hymn this morning and decided, this shall be one of the songs for my funeral.

I think it is also significant to write that I bound myself, willingly (okay emotionally unwilling that's an instinctive reaction), to a government organisation today. At various points in signing all these papers I thought: my signature is so childish. It is, and not just because it originated from my P6 signature.

And yet, mingled with the apprehension that I would not even be able to cope, is an expectancy.

To marvel at your beauty,and glory in your ways; and make a joyful duty, our sacrifice of praise!