440 - Jesus Christ our Lord
1. Blessed Jesus, at thy word
we are gathered all to hear thee;
let our hearts and souls be stirred
now to seek and love and fear thee;
by thy teachings pure and holy,
drawn from earth to love thee solely.
2. All our knowledge, sense, and sight
lie in deepest darkness shrouded,
till thy Spirit breaks our night
with the beams of truth unclouded;
thou alone to God canst win us;
thou must work all good within us.
3. Gracious Lord, thy self impart!
Light of Light, from God proceeding,
open thou our ears and heart,
help us by thy Spirit’s pleading.
Hear the cry thy Church upraised;
hear, and bless our prayers and praises.
Words: Tobias Clausnitzer (1619-1684); tr. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878) Music: Liebster, Jesu, melody Johann Rudolph Ahle (1625-1673); alt. Das grosse Cantional oder Kirchen-Gesangbuch, 1687; harm. George Herbert Palmer (1846-1926)