Love, Worship and Service

I love Thee, blessed God, for Thou hast first loved me,

Thy love Thou hast told on Calvary’s shameful tree,

Where all the hate of man rose to its utmost height

To be for aye removed by love! Transcendent sight!

Within my heart Thy holy love is shed abroad,

And now I love Thee, Jesus, as my Saviour-God:

At Thy blest feet I fall and freely, gladly own --

Thou, Thou alone art worthy to receive the crown!

With Thomas I confess Thee as my Lord! My God!

With ear attent – would hearken to Thy living word:

Then hasten forth with joy to do Thy blessed will,

Returning to Thy feet, to worship and be still!

To love and serve Thy people is a constant joy,

Yielding a pleasure pure and sweet without alloy,

To follow thus Thy path of self-denying love

Which led through darkest death, to God’s right hand above.

To love with tender pity and compassion true,

The helpless, poor and needy and the sin-stained too:

And loving them, to serve them with unstinted might,

And shed love’s brightest rays athwart their rayless night.