The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching
Day 8 – Thursday after Lent 1 – Great Is Your Glory
To Read:
From the Scriptures:
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
(Psalm 138v1-6)
From Vicky Beeching:
Great Is Your Glory
God came down and gave his life for me
Amen, Amen
Through flesh and blood he fought for victory
Amen, Amen
Crucified brought back to life
Amen, Amen
Seated at the Father’s hand again
Amen, Amen
Great is the glory of the Lord Almighty
Great is the glory of the Lord
I will sing with all my heart unto the Lord Almighty
Great is your glory Lord
Crimson covered over sinless hands
Amen, Amen
But nails could never hold the son of man
Amen, Amen
Now the Father’s love flows down on us
Amen, Amen
Hallelujah He will come again
Amen, Amen
Chorus
You are the One who was
You are the One who is
You are the One who is to come (Repeats)
Chorus – repeats
Great is your glory Lord.
To Listen:
To Reflect:
Where, in our everyday life, do we use the word ‘glory’ or ‘glorious’? And, perhaps a deeper question, why are some things given ‘glory’ or described as ‘glorious’?
Things that are glorious are self-contained yet seem to be able to do so without being selfish. Adding light and life and joy without subtracting from or diminishing those around them. And for those reasons we rightly put them on pedestals and point to them so that more people may be touched by the glow of someone’s joy in life.
The glory of God, and of God’s creation which reflects that glory, is different somehow; deeper, more intense, more enduring. In the glow of the glory of God we can bask and find ourselves blessed not because of any achievement of our own but because God smiles on all things.
But the glory of God is not just for the good times. Vicky’s songs remind us that glory is not just found on mountaintops with tablets of stone (Exodus 24.15-18) or in the Shekhinah[1] at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8.6-11). Glory also shines on other darker mountains and deeper valleys. For glory to be truly glorious it should be found in the dark places as well as the bright ones….
For this reason worship in church often begins with a time of praise and singing of the glory of God. Reminding us that wherever we, or the world finds itself, God shines still. It is understandable, so we may celebrate Easter fully, that we are asked to hold off on Extravagant Worship during these 40 days. However does it mean that we can no longer offer praise during this time? Do we need to live life in a minor key for the next few weeks so that Easter is more glorious?
Vicky and I say no. Yes, we need a time of penitence and penance so that we may, ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ’. But is not the possibility of penitence and penance something glorious in and of itself? It has always taken me time to get around to making a personal confession. (If I’m honest this is because I’m just plain embarrassed that I fail). Yet, every time I do manage to ask a fellow pilgrim to ‘Bless me, for I have sinned’, I find I am surprised by joy as I find, even in my darkness, forgiveness and know how glorious is our God.
To Pray:
O Eternal Son of God,
Who camest from the Father, the Fountain of Light,
to enlighten the darkness of the world:
Shine Thou upon us this day,
that in whatsoever we shall do or suffer
we may be acceptable to Thy Divine Majesty;
for Thy Name’s sake.
(Jeremy Taylor)
To Do:
Visit something glorious:
Watch a sunrise or a sunset or stare at the stars
Attend a concert of loud music or a concert of quiet music
Sometime during Lent break the rules and sing a ‘Gloria in Excelsis’. Here is one you may want to sing along to…
oooOOOooo
If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry. For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.
If you would like them as a daily email please send a request to revdotchin@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed reading them please make a donation to The Clergy Support Trust who provide generous grants to help clergy.
Acknowledgements:
These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.
All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.
If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings. A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.
Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.
[1] A description of ‘Shekhinah’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekhinah
Suffolk Vicar 