Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (ELW 707)
1 Lord of glory, you have bought us
with your life-blood as the price,
never grudging for the lost ones
that tremendous sacrifice;
and with that hast freely given
blessings countless as the sand
to the unthankful and the evil
with your own unsparing hand.
2 Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give you
gladly, freely, of your own.
With the sunshine of your goodness
melt our thankless hearts of stone
till our cold and selfish natures,
warmed by you, at length believe
that more happy and more blessed
’tis to give than to receive.
3 Wondrous honor you have given
to our humblest charity
in your own mysterious sentence,
“You have done it all to me.”
Naked, sick, in prison, hungry —
in the least, your face we view,
saying by your poor and needy,
“Give as I have giv’n to you.”
4 Lord of glory, you have bought us
with your life-blood as the price,
never grudging for the lost ones
that tremendous sacrifice.
Give us faith to trust you boldly,
hope, to stay our souls on you:
but, oh, best of all your graces,
with your love our love renew.
Devotion
God’s mercy is…all-encompassing love
Music is a gift that can lift the spirit and heal the soul. A few members of my congregations like to joke that I know every hymn in the ELW. While that is not true, I do love music, especially hymns. Often music can convey our deepest thoughts and emotions. In this hymn, the words of Eliza S. Alderson evoke resounding praise for God based upon the debt that Jesus has paid for us all.
On the one hand, the hymn invites me to reflect on how we are called to “love our enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” (Luke 6:35) On the other hand, it reminds me of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all people. He willingly came to earth to save us all. I wonder what this example might look like in our lives. Are we willing to sacrifice everything to help our neighbors in their need?
Prayer
Lord of Glory, we thank you for the gifts of love that you continue to give us—our time, money, and possessions. Grant us the heart to give gladly to others and to live our lives in ways that honor your teachings. Amen.