Most wonderful of all things is

Most wonderful of all things is

Author: Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig; Translator: Jens C. Aaberg (1945)
Published in 1 hymnal

Full Text

Most wonderful of all things is
The kingdom Jesus founded.
Its glory, treasure, peace and bliss
No tongue has fully sounded.

Invisible as mind and soul,
And yet of light the fountain,
It sheds its light from pole to pole
Like beacons from a mountain.

Its secret is the word of God,
Which works what it proposes,
Which lowers mountains high and broad
And clothes the wastes with roses.

Though foes against the kingdom rage
With hatred and derision,
God spreads its reign from age to age,
And brings it to fruition.

Its glory rises like a morn
When waves at sunrise glitter,
Or as in June the golden corn
While birds above it twitter.

It is the glory of the King
Who bore affliction solely
That he the crown of life might bring
To sinners poor and lowly.

And when His advent comes to pass,
The Christian’s strife is ended,
What now we see as in a glass
Shall then be comprehended.

Then shall the kingdom bright appear
In glory true and vernal,
And usher in the golden year
Of peace and joy eternal.

Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark, 1945

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Author: Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig

Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (September 8, 1783 – September 2, 1872) (Danish pronunciation: [ˈneɡolaɪ̯ˀ ˈfʁæˀðʁæɡ ˈsɛʋəʁin ˈɡʁɔndʋi]), most often referred to as simply N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher, and politician. He was one of the most influential people in Danish history, as his philosophy gave rise to a new form of nationalism in the last half of the 19th century. He was married three times, the last time in his seventy-sixth year. Grundtvig and his followers are credited with being very influential in the formulation of modern Danish national consciousness. It was steeped in the national literature and supported by deep spirituality. Called Fr… Go to person page >

Translator: Jens C. Aaberg

Jens Christian Aaberg (b. Moberg, Denmark, 1877; d. Minneapolis, MN, 1970) immigrated to the United States in 1901. Educated at Grand View College and Seminary in Des Moines, Iowa, he entered the ministry of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served congregations in Marinette, Wisconsin; Dwight, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aaberg wrote Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark (1945), translated at least eighty hymns from Danish into English, and served on four hymnal committees. In 1947 King Frederick of Denmark awarded him the Knight Cross of Denmark. --Psalter Hymnal Handbook  Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: Most wonderful of all things is
Author: Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig
Translator: Jens C. Aaberg (1945)
Meter: 8.7.8.7
Publication Date: 1945
Copyright: This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1945.
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