Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 656)
1 Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the unity of heart and mind
is like to that above.
2 Before our Father’s throne
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.
3 We share our mutual woes,
our mutual burdens bear,
and often for each other flows
the sympathizing tear.
4 From sorrow, toil, and pain,
and sin we shall be free;
and perfect love and friendship reign
through all eternity.
Devotion
Love is a costly thing. The British pastor, theologian, and hymn writer John Fawcett began his ministry serving a small Baptist church in Hebden Bridge, England. After seven years, his family had grown so large that he could no longer support his wife and children on the meager salary the rural church could afford. When a call came in 1772 to serve a large and influential church in London, Fawcett fully intended to take the call. But on moving day—the family’s belongings already filling a horse-drawn wagon—the love-filled farewell tears of the parishioners—by now their close friends—so moved Fawcett that he ordered the household goods unloaded, the family moved back into the small parsonage, and Fawcett remained the church’s pastor. The next Sunday at the close of his sermon, Fawcett read a poem he had composed for the day entitled “Brotherly Love,” which has now become this beloved hymn.
Prayer
Your love, O God, when shared and lived, is far more precious than silver or gold. With your love, bind our hearts and lives together to you and one another. Amen.