Today Your Mercy Calls Us, LBW 304
1 Today your mercy calls us
To wash away our sin.
However great our trespass,
Whatever we have been,
However long from mercy
Our hearts have turned away,
Your precious blood can wash us
And make us clean today.
2 Today your gate is open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father's welcome
And pardon for their sin.
The past shall be forgotten,
A present joy be giv'n,
A future grace be promised,
A glorious crown in heav'n.
3 Today our Father calls us;
His Holy Spirit waits;
His blessed angels gather
Around the heav'nly gates.
No question will be asked us,
How often we have come;
Although we oft have wandered,
It is our Father's home.
4 O all-embracing Mercy,
O ever-open Door,
What should we do without you
When heart and eye run o'er?
When all things seem against us,
To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open,
One ear will hear our prayer.
Devotion
O all-embracing Mercy, O ever open Door,
What should we do without you When heart and eye run o’er?
When all things seem against us, To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open, One ear will hear our prayer.
With the modern day security systems and heavy duty locks we have on our church doors, one has to show up at the right time or have a key and code to enter. A few years ago I visited a beautiful old historic church on a weekday morning. I guess I should have made myself known in the church office, because as I opened the door to the sanctuary, a blaring alarm went off and the pastor came to catch the culprit! I just wanted a glimpse of the “sanctuary.”
Sometimes I wish we could leave the doors of our churches open all the time. Though I have not experienced it my lifetime, I know the practice once existed. I think it teaches us that God is an ever-open door. Maybe it would let people know that God is for us, that God is accessible, and that God is merciful.
Prayer
God of Mercy, help us open the doors of our hearts, our homes, and our churches so that others might catch a glimpse of you. Amen.