Gladly, Christ, We Come to Hear You

 

A hymn for Trinity 7

8787 7788

Tune: Freu Dich Sehr (LSB 347)

 

1 Gladly, Christ, we come to hear You,

With the praises of our hearts,

In true fear let us revere You

With the faith Your Word imparts.

You give many other things -

Nothing else such comfort brings

As what quenches doubt with praises

Which the soul that knows You raises.

 

2 Sing, you children of the Father,

Who spared not His only Son,

But gave Him to be Your Brother

For the sins which you have done!

He gave you His greatest gem -

What will He deny to them,

Who are trusting in His mercy

When they cry out, poor and thirsty?

 

3 Don’t let envy take your spirit

From this endless fount of love;

Nothing less than Jesus’ merit

Will at last the lasting prove.

Turn from what the Gentiles seek -

Know the earth is for the meek.

All you see of pomp and power

Will be gone in Jesus’ hour.

 

4 And your Father knows what’s needed

For your body and your soul;

What He wants has still succeeded

When the wicked claim control.

He won’t leave you hungry here

Even in your worried fear;

In few loaves that Christ once offered

Is more joy than pain you’ve suffered.

 

5 Has He not in times of doubting

Called to you so patiently?

When your conscience “hell!" was shouting,

Countless times He spoke to free

You from guilt you could not bear,

And still now He bids you share

All He is and all His heaven

When He says, “You are forgiven.”

 

6 When the joys you took for granted

Turned to pains that made you fret,

Was it not the seed He planted

That replaced with joy regret,

So that you can praise the God

Who turned evil into good,

Teaching you by what you suffer

How much more His love can offer?

 

7 Thank the Lord with praises sounding!

Count His blessings if you can!

More than sands they are abounding -

Time is not enough to span

All the thoughts of God toward you,

Mercies every morning new,

Paving still your way to heaven,

Where the crown at last is given.

            8/3/19