Abide, O Dearest Jesus (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 539)
1 Abide, O dearest Jesus,
among us with your grace,
that evil may not harm us
nor we to sin give place.
2 Abide, O dear Redeemer,
among us with your word
and thus now and hereafter
true peace and joy afford.
3 Abide with heav’nly brightness
among us, precious Light;
your truth direct and keep us
from error’s gloomy night.
4 Abide with richest blessings
among us, bounteous Lord;
let us in grace and wisdom
grow daily through your word.
5 Abide, O faithful Savior,
among us with your love;
grant steadfastness and help us
to reach our home above.
Text: Josua Stegmann; Music: Melchior Vulpius; Public Domain
Devotion
“Abide, O Dearest Jesus, among us with your Grace.” So begins this hymn with a somewhat unfamiliar tune, but a hymn ripe for the conclusion of the “Bread of Life” cycle in John. It is all about “abiding:”
Abiding in Grace.
Abiding with the Redeemer.
Abiding in Light.
Abiding in blessings.
Abiding with the Savior.
As we ponder what it is that Jesus invites us into as we partake of his body and blood, this hymn speaks experientially to us. We do not so much take it in intellectually as we begin to feel its impressions wash over us:
Safe from harm.
Peace and Joy.
Light, truth, and gloomy night.
Growth and Home.
Images and emotions flow over us as we sing, like tidal surges, wrapping, enfolding, and finally inundating us as we ponder once again what it means to “abide” in God.
Prayer
Wash over me with your grace, Oh God, until it is no longer I who live but you who live in me. Amen.