An Expression of Joy and Humility

(From The Daily Office, CPH, 1965, for the Week of Jubilate at Matins)

Let us praise God in gladness and humility for all great and simple joys and for the weak things of the earth which have confounded the strong.

For the gift of wonder and joy in discovery; for the everlasting freshness of experience; for the newness of life each day as we grow older: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For the fireside; for the intimacies of friendship; for the traditions and customs of the home; for meals eaten together in fellowship; and for all the sanctities of family life: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For games and holidays in the open air; for books and pictures and all our small possessions: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For forest trees in spring and for fruit blossoms; for the smell of the earth after the rain; for the green grass and the flowers; for cloud and sun, hills and mountain streams: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For birds; for children and the joys of innocency; for the satisfaction of work attempted and achieved; for the joy of harvest and the wedding feast: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For the happiness which is born of sympathy and sorrow; for the rapture of the lost soul finding love again; and for the joy of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all purging comedy and laughter; and for the gift of humor and gaiety of heart: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all the Lord’s merry men, who have consecrated mirth with the love of Christ: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all singers and musicians and all who work in form or color to increase the joy of life: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For poets and craftsmen; for all who rejoice in their work and make things well: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all who have loved the unfortunate and borne their sorrows in their hearts: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all obscure and humble saints; for village pastors and ministering women, who have made life sweet and gentler: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For those disciples who have not fully understood all Christian doctrines and yet have lived in the companionship of Christ: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For the image of Christ in average people, their forbearance and generosity, their good temper in crowds, their courage and their kindness: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For the glory of God shining in unsung lives; for husband and wife devising ways to please each other, and for the sacrifices of both for their children: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

For all holy and humble men of heart, in whom the loveliness of our Savior Christ has been made manifest in the world: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

Our Father....