Oh Master, Let Me Walk With You, ELW 818
Devotion
O Master, let me walk with you
in lowly paths of service true;
tell me your secret; help me bear
the strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
by some clear, winning word of love;
teach me the wayward feet to stay,
and guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me your patience; share with me
a closer, dearer company,
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
in trust that triumphs over wrong,
In hope that sends a shining ray
far down the future's broad'ning way,
in peace that only you can give;
with you, O Master, let me live.
If you sing the song, you'll discover that the peak—or high note—in each stanza comes at the words near the end of the second line: service, word, dearer company, future's broadening. When I sing—as my college choir director taught me—I tend to get louder. There seems to be a natural crescendo on terms that describe core aspects in the life of faith.
In our service with the world and the Word of God breathing into and shaping the depth of our being, we are included in the gift of a dearer company of believers which give us hope in the love of Christ that broadens the future beyond our current reality.
Prayer
We praise you, O God, for the way you shape our life through your Word with the gifts of compassion, community, and hope. Make our lives to sound as a crescendo so that the world may trust and follow your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.