“You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore” ELW 817
1 You have come down to the lakeshore
seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
but only asking for me to follow.
Refrain
Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes;
kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I have abandoned my small boat;
now with you, I will seek other seas.
2 You know full well what I have, Lord:
neither treasure nor weapons for conquest,
just these my fish nets and will for working.
Refrain
3 You need my hands, my exhaustion,
working love for the rest of the weary
a love that's willing to go on loving.
Refrain
4 You who have fished other waters;
you, the longing of souls that are yearning:
O loving Friend, you have come to call me.
Devotion
Sometime in the last year when I was at Luther Seminary, this song was sung in chapel and it resonated somewhere deep in my memory banks. It was very familiar, but I don't remember where or when I sang it. Who knows, perhaps it was around a camp fire at a summer bible camp. But the tune rolled off my tongue like a familiar friend.
I am in the process of planning my ordination service and this song seems to fit perfectly. It is based on the calling of Peter and Andrew to be Christ's disciples and, while it was originally written in Spanish, it has since been translated into 80 languages. How appropriate that, as we sing about how it is not our wealth or wisdom that fit us for God's calling, it is also not our nationality or location. I don't know what "other seas" the Lord will lead me to, but God has called out my name, just as he calls each of us, and his kind smile reassures me that he will hold me safely in his arms, wherever he may lead me on this journey.
Prayer
Dear Lord, you have called out our name, knowing full well what we have and who we are. Yet you still call. Help us to hear your voice and heed your calling to the glory of your Kingdom. Amen.