"Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service" by Alfred Bayly
1. Lord, whose love in humble service
Bore the weight of human need,
Who upon the cross, forsaken,
Worked Your mercy’s perfect deed:
We, Your servants, bring the worship
Not of voice alone, but heart;
Consecrating to Your purpose
Every gift which You impart.
2. Still Your children wander homeless;
Still the hungry cry for bread;
Still the captives long for freedom;
Still in grief we mourn our dead.
As you, Lord, in deep compassion
Healed the sick and freed the soul,
By Your Spirit send Your power
To our world to make it whole.
3. As we worship, grant us vision,
Till your love’s revealing light
In its height and depth and greatness
Dawns upon our quickened sight,
Making known the needs and burdens
Your compassion bids us bear,
Stirring us to ardent service,
Your abundant life to share.
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"Lord, whose love..." We hear a lot about love in the Christian church today--how we are called to love others, and how great God's love is for us. Sometimes it seems as though the thing that really, truly redeems us is nothing other than God's love itself. But let's pause that thought for a moment and take a look at this hymn, which describes what God's love actually is and what God's love actually did/does. For while God's love for us is wonderful, unfathomable and beyond our ability to compare, it is not ultimately what redeems us.
What that love did for us, bearing upon the cross the weight of human need and sin and despair, dying underneath that weight, AND THEN forgiving us for it! That is not just God's love; it is God's love-upon-the-cross. And that is the perfect deed of mercy which saves us all.
Jesus Christ, your love-upon-the-cross is humbling. Bring me to my knees in adoration and confession, then raise me to my feet to thank and serve you. Amen.
Rachel Wrenn, '11
PhD student in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, Marietta, GA ***
What that love did for us, bearing upon the cross the weight of human need and sin and despair, dying underneath that weight, AND THEN forgiving us for it! That is not just God's love; it is God's love-upon-the-cross. And that is the perfect deed of mercy which saves us all.
Jesus Christ, your love-upon-the-cross is humbling. Bring me to my knees in adoration and confession, then raise me to my feet to thank and serve you. Amen.
Rachel Wrenn, '11
PhD student in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, Marietta, GA ***
The Luther Seminary
2481 Como Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, United State
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