Thursday, November 24, 2016

Today’s Hymn            
What shall I render to the Lord;
what shall my offering be,
for all the gracious benefits
God hath bestowed on me?

Salvation’s cup my soul shall take
while to the Lord I pray,
and with God’s people I will meet,
my thankful vows to pay.

Not lightly dost thou, Lord, permit
thy chosen saints to die;
from death thou hast delivered me;
thy servant, Lord, am I.

Within God’s house, the house of prayer,
my soul shall bless the Lord,
and praises to God’s holy name
let all the saints accord.

“What Shall I Render to the Lord” (Psalm 116) (tune: Martyrdom)
from The New Metrical Version of the Psalms
from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal

Reflection
The first stanza of today’s hymn section is a reworking of Psalm 116, verse 12: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?”

The hymn’s author has replaced “make a return” with “render,” and I am grateful. I like to play with words, and “render” leaves room to play. My beat-up paperback dictionary from high school gives nine definitions for “render,” and without too much effort, I can get every one to work in the context of this hymn.

My favorite definition is the last, and perhaps the least likely. “Render” sometimes means “to melt down,” as in rendering fat.

When my life is “melted down,” what will I have to give back to God? To what will my life amount? What will God and the communion of saints that we have celebrated this November find as the essence of my life, the true flavor, the distillation of however many days I am granted?

Indeed, God has bestowed more “gracious benefits” than I can count. I can never repay God for my extraordinarily ordinary nurturing family, or the opportunity to do meaningful work, or a body that does (pretty much) what I want, or a safety net of loving and faithful friends, much less this gorgeous world, or the gift of faith, or all the rest.

All I can offer back is what I do with my life. I want it to boil down to some form of grateful witness. Each day is another chance to clarify this life a bit more, get another imperfection out, trim the extraneous and ragged edges.

Prayer
Gracious God, who gives from abundant and extravagant love, help me to acknowledge and thank you for my many blessings. When all melts away, may a truly grateful and humble heart be what is left. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Written by Susan Quaintance, Program Coordinator, Center for Life and Learning

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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