O Blessed Spring

 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; John 15:5 NIV

Paul Granlund is a sculptor who was born the son of a Lutheran pastor and eventually became the Sculptor-in-residence at Gustavus Adolphus College. He seemed to be able to show his love of God through is work. One of his sculptures is located at Luther College in the front lawn of Dahl Memorial Union. It is called LIFE-TREE and is a combination of several figures. “The central clothed figure, representing Jesus, has upraised arms. Orbiting around the central figure are people in various stages of life which form a 3-D Life Tree. Roots of the tree extend from the bronze base.”¹ Granlund created four other copies of this sculpture, one of which hangs above the baptismal font at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Minneapolis.

Susan Palo Cherwien is a poet and wrote the hymn “O Blessed Spring” after being inspired by Paul Granlund’s “LIFE-TREE” at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. She says this about the hymn, “This hymn was shaped by the seasons of life portrayed in the sculpture and was written for the baptismal life of Good Shepherd parish. It is based on the scripture verse Granlund chose: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches.’” (John 15:5 NIV)

1. Kemp, Jane. Retrieved from Luther College website: http://finearts.luther.edu/outdoor_sculptures/lifetree.html
2. Cherwien, Susan Palo. O Blessed Spring. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress) pg. 120.

O Blessed Spring (The Gift of Love)

1. O blessed spring, where Word and sign
   Embrace us into Christ the Vine:
   Here Christ enjoins each one to be
   A branch of this life-giving Tree.
    
2. Through summer heat of youthful years,
   Uncertain faith, rebellious tears,
   Sustained by Christ’s infusing rain,
   The boughs will shout for joy again.
    
3. When autumn cools and youth is cold,
   When limbs their heavy harvest hold,
   Then through us, warm, the Christ will move
   With gifts of beauty, wisdom, love.
    
4. As winter comes, as winters must,
   We breathe our last, return to dust;
   Still held in Christ, our souls take wing
   And trust the promise of the spring.
    
5. Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree,
   Be praised for this blest mystery:
   That Word and water thus revive
   And join us to your Tree of Life.

Words: Susan Palo Cherwien © 1993 Augsburg Fortress 1993.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI #646016.