The Mission of The Flowers

THE MISSION OF THE FLOWERS.

God made a tiny flow'ret,
As pure and white as snow,
And said, "This modest lily
Must in the valley grow,
And send forth sweetest fragrance
With meekly drooping head,
And teach the world humility
From out its lowly bed."

And then He made a red rose,
With lovely, blushing face,
And said, "To you, my fair one,
I'll give a higher place;
But you must teach a lesson
Upon your little mound,
By breathing love and perfume
Upon the world around."

And thus they grew in beauty
Not many rods apart,
While each fulfilled its mission
With glad and willing heart;

And when the frost of Autumn came,
And chilled their hearts with fear,
God laid them gently down to rest
Upon a snow-white bier.

Always Spring

ALWAYS SPRING

THE summer birds have ceased their singing,
The summer flowers have passed away,
The sunshine from the skies has faded,
The autumn clouds are cold and gray;
But still my happy heart is singing,
For Jesus is my Lord and King;
His peace to me a heaven is bringing,
And, where He dwells, 'tis always spring.

The sweetest joys of earth may fail me,
The fondest friendships pass away,
The brightest frames and feelings languish
As sinks the light of setting day;
But still my happy heart is singing,
For Jesus is my Lord and King;
His peace to me a heaven is bringing,
And, where He dwells, 'tis always spring.

The love of Jesus is my sunshine,
His presence is my joy and song,
His loving kindness floods my being
And keeps me gladsome all day long;
And so my happy heart is singing -
For Jesus is my Lord and King;
His peace to me a heaven is bringing,
And, where He dwells, 'tis always spring.

My day no more can sink in darkness,
My sun no more shall set in night;
Christ is my sunshine and my summer
And God, my everlasting light:
And so my happy heart is singing -
For Jesus is my Lord and King;
His peace to me a heaven is bringing,
And, where He dwells, 'tis always spring. 

On Eagle's Wings

ON EAGLES' WINGS

MOUNTING up with wings as eagles,
Waiting on the Lord we rise;
Strength receiving, life renewing,
How our spirit heavenward flies!
Then our springing feet returning
To the pathway of the saint,
We shall run and not be weary,
We shall walk and never faint.

Oh, we need these heights of rapture
Where we mount on eagles' wings;
Then returning to life's duties,
All our heart exultant springs.
This our every burden lightens
Till, with sweet, divine constraint,
We can run and not be weary,
We can walk and never faint. 

Life One Great Ritual by Philip James Baily

Life One Great Ritual 

by Philip James Bailey

And as the vesper hymn of Time precedes
The starry matins of Eternity
And daybreak of existence in the Heavens,–
To know this, is to know we shall depart
Into the storm-surrounding calm on high,
The sacred cirque, the all-central infinite
Of that self-blessedness wherein abides
Our GOD, all kind, all loving, all beloved;-
To feel life one great ritual, and its laws
Writ in the vital rubric of the blood,
Flow in obedience and flow out command,
In sealike circulation; and be here
Accepted as a gift by Him, who gives
An empire as an alms, nor counts it aught,
So long as all His creatures joy in Him,
The great Rejoicer of the Universe,
Whom all the boundless spheres of Being bless.