Lord Take My Hand and Lead Me, ELW 767
1 Lord, take my hand and lead me upon life's way;
direct, protect, and feed me from day to day.
Without your grace and favor I go astray;
so take my hand, O Savior, and lead the way.
2 Lord, when the tempest rages, I need not fear;
for you, the Rock of Ages, are always near.
Close by your side abiding, I fear no foe,
for when your hand is guiding, in peace I go.
3 Lord, when the shadows lengthen and night has come,
I know that you will strengthen my steps toward home,
then nothing can impede me, O blessed Friend!
So, take my hand and lead me unto the end.
Devotion
The primary intersection of any college/university is its dining center. It is there, around grill and pasta bar, that nourishment and health are supported and relationships are nurtured. It is most likely at the dinner table this week where parents miss son or daughter the most and absence causes wonder, anxiety, and a little sadness.
Today communities of faith gather around bread and wine, Word and water, to remember again whose hand we hold and how community works in absence and in presence. God is with us and we are together. A host of witnesses, a choir of saints and sinners, all in need of grace and mercy.
I remember Al Rogness talking about the company of characters that arrive when we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus": enemies and strangers, the ones we fear or dismiss. So we eat and drink, we listen and confess, with a company of characters all on a journey of new beginnings, holding hands, being led, singing songs. Thomas Merton once said that if God is here, we can't be in too much trouble.
Prayer
For being among us in all of life, gracious God, we give you thanks. For what has been, for today and the new beginnings ahead, we ask your blessing and leading presence. Amen.