Lord, You Have Called Me by Your Grace

 

A Hymn on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

(Matthew 20:1-16)

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Tune: Herr, wie Du Willt

 

1. Lord, You have called me by Your grace,

By grace now let me labor,

Always to see Your loving face,

And serve with joy my neighbor;

I’ve only earned my sin’s reward,

But You have called me with Your Word

To trust You in my weakness.

 

2. Out of a desert wilderness,

Where Adam’s sin enthralled me,

Into the vineyard You will bless

Gently Your Spirit called me

To trust in You to show me grace,

Earned by the sweat of Your own face

To feed me bread from heaven. 

 

3. Idle and worthless I have been,

Wasting the time You gave me;

You took my guilt and bore my sin,

You worked for me to save me;

You are the Vine! O Lord, let me

A branch in Your blest body be,

Your life my life supplying. 

 

4. Take all I have; what I may lose -

More will Your mercy give me;

And if I stumble, don’t refuse

In mercy to forgive me.

So in Your in Your vineyard let me dwell,

Safe from my sins and death and hell,

Soon to taste Your sweet harvest. 

 

5. A burden light, a sunset hour,

And I will see with gladness

Your resurrection’s holy pow’r

Dispelling all my sadness.

The first shall see their pride depart;

The last will see their Lord impart

More than our minds can measure.

 

6. Upon the robe of innocence

Which I by grace am wearing,

My works, which He by blood will cleanse,

He puts, His glory sharing;

For what is mine, as His He takes,

And who I am, like Him He makes –

How my heart yearns within me! 

 

7. There is no greater joy than this,

To know the vineyard’s Master;

There soon His Bride and He will kiss,

And laugh at death’s disaster! 

There, clothed in white, we soon will stand

Held by our gracious Savior’s hand,

Who worked all good within us.

                        2/16/19