O Son of God
and Son of Man,
Thou
wast incarnate, didst suffer, rise, ascend
for my sake;
Thy departure was
not a token of separation
but a pledge of
return;
Thy Word, promises,
sacraments, show thy death
until thou come
again.
That day is no
horror to me,
for thy death has redeemed me,
thy Spirit fills me,
thy love animates me,
thy Word governs me.
I have trusted thee
and thou hast not betrayed
my trust;
waited for thee, and not waited
in vain.
Thou wilt come to
raise my body from the dust,
and re-unite it to my
soul,
by a wonderful work of infinite
power and love,
greater than that which bounds
the oceans’ waters,
ebbs and flows the tides,
keeps the stars in their courses,
and gives life to all creatures.
This corruptible
shall put on incorruption,
this mortal, immortality,
this natural body, a spiritual
body,
this dishonoured body, a glorious
body,
this weak body, a body of power.
I triumph now in thy
promises as I shall do
in their performance,
for the head cannot live if the
members are dead;
Beyond the grave is
resurrection, judgment,
acquittal, dominion.
Every event and
circumstance of my life will be
dealt with –
the sins of my youth, my secret
sins,
the sins of abusing thee, of
disobeying thy Word,
the sins of neglecting
ministers’ admonitions,
the sins of violating my
conscience –
all will be judged;
And after judgment,
peace and rest, life and service,
employment and enjoyment, for
thine elect.
O God, keep me in
this faith,
and ever looking for
Christ’s return.