The Recovery

*** Revised Common Lectionary *** Lectionary Reading: Mark 1:29-39 CLASSIC POEM: The Recovery Thomas Traherne I To see us but receive, is such a sight As makes His treasures infinite! Because His goodness doth possess In us, His own, and our own Blessedness. Yea more, His love doth take delight To make our glory infinite; Our blessedness to see Is even to the Deity A Beatific vision! He attains His Ends while we enjoy. In us He reigns. II For God enjoy’d is all His End. Himself He then doth comprehend When He is blessed, magnified, Extoll’d, exalted, prais’d, and glorified, Honor’d, esteem’d, belov’d, enjoy’d, Admired, sanctified, obeyed, That is received. For He Doth place His whole felicity In that: who is despised and defied, Undeified almost if once denied. III In all His works, in all His ways, We must His glory see and praise; And since our pleasure is the end, We must His goodness, and His love attend. If we despise His glorious works, Such sin and mischief in it lurks That they are all made vain; And this is even endless pain To Him that sees it: Whose diviner grief Is hereupon (ah me!) without relief. IV We please His goodness that receive: Refusers Him of all bereave. As bridegrooms know full well that build A palace for their bride. It will not yield Any delight to him at all If she for whom he made the hall Refuse to dwell in it, Or plainly scorn the benefit. Her act that’s woo’d yields more delight and pleasure If she receives, than all the pile of treasure. V But we have hands, and lips, and eyes, And hearts and souls can sacrifice; And souls themselves are made in vain If we our evil stubbornness retain. Affections, praises, are the things For which He gave us all those springs; They are the very fruits Of all those trees and roots, The fruits and ends of all His great endeavours, Which He abolisheth whoever severs. VI ‘Tis not alone a lively sense, A clear and quick intelligence, A free, profound, and full esteem; Tho’ these elixirs all and ends do seem: But gratitude, thanksgiving, praise, A heart returned for all those joys, These are the things admired, These are the things by Him desired: These are the nectar and the quintessence, The cream and flower that most affect His sense. VII The voluntary act whereby These are repaid is in His eye More precious than the very sky. All gold and silver is but empty dross, Rubies and sapphires are but loss, The very sun, and stars and seas Far less His spirit please: One voluntary act of love Far more delightful to His soul doth prove, And is above all these as far as love. *** This poem is in the public domain, and may be read in a live-streamed worship service. CONTEMPORARY POEM: Through the Gate Malcolm Guite SNIPPET: Begin the song exactly where you are For where you are contains where you have been And holds the vision of your final sphere And do not fear the memory of sin; There is a light that heals, and, where it falls, Transfigures and redeems the darkest stain … [ READ THE FULL POEM ]