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SDA Hymnal 396

Lord God, Your Love Has Called Us Here

Tune: RYBURN

Studio

1Lord God, Your love has called us here,
As we, by love, for love were made.
Your living likeness still we bear
Tho'marred, dishonored, disobeyed.
We come, with all our heart and mind
Your call to hear, Your love to find.

2We come with self inflicted pains
Of broken trust and chosen wrong,
Half free, half bound by inner chains,
By social forces swept along,
By powers and systems close confined,
Yet seeking hope for human kind.

3Lord God, in Christ You call our name,
And then receive us as Your own,
Not thro' some merit, right, or claim,
But by Your gracious love alone.
We strain to glimpse Your mercy seat,
And find You kneeling at our feet.

4Then take the towel, and break the bread,
And humble us, and call us friends.
Suffer and serve till all are fed
And show how grandly love intends
To work till all creation sings,
To fill all worlds, to crown all things.

5Lord God, in Christ You set us free
Your life to live, Your joy to share.
Give us Your Spirit's liberty
To turn from guilt and dull despair
And offer all that faith can do,
While love is making all things new.

Tune
RYBURN

The verse

Meter
8.8.8.9.9.8
Foot
iambic (da-DUM) · 65% of beats fit
Rhyme
ABABCC
Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary

Verse 1

Lord God, Your love has called us here,//˘/˘/˘/8A
As we, by love, for love were made.˘˘˘/˘/˘/8B
Your living likeness still we bear˘/˘/˘/˘/8C
Tho'marred, dishonored, disobeyed.???˘/˘/˘/9B
We come, with all our heart and mind˘/˘//˘/˘/9D
Your call to hear, Your love to find.˘/˘/˘/˘/8D

Verse 2

We come with self inflicted pains˘/˘///˘/8A
Of broken trust and chosen wrong,˘/˘/˘/˘/8B
Half free, half bound by inner chains,////˘/˘/8A
By social forces swept along,˘/˘/˘/˘/8B
By powers and systems close confined,˘/˘˘/˘/˘/9C
Yet seeking hope for human kind.//˘/˘/˘/8C

Verse 3

Lord God, in Christ You call our name,//˘/˘//˘/9A
And then receive us as Your own,˘/˘/˘˘˘/8B
Not thro' some merit, right, or claim,˘///˘/˘/8A
But by Your gracious love alone.˘˘˘/˘/˘/8B
We strain to glimpse Your mercy seat,˘/˘/˘/˘/8C
And find You kneeling at our feet.˘/˘/˘˘/˘/9C

Verse 4

Then take the towel, and break the bread,//˘/˘˘/˘/9A
And humble us, and call us friends.˘/˘˘˘/˘/8B
Suffer and serve till all are fed/˘˘///˘/8A
And show how grandly love intends˘///˘///8B
To work till all creation sings,˘///˘/˘/8C
To fill all worlds, to crown all things.˘///˘///8C

Verse 5

Lord God, in Christ You set us free//˘/˘/˘/8A
Your life to live, Your joy to share.˘/˘/˘/˘/8B
Give us Your Spirit's liberty/˘˘/˘/˘/8A
To turn from guilt and dull despair˘/˘/˘/˘/8B
And offer all that faith can do,˘/˘/˘/˘˘8C
While love is making all things new.//˘/˘///8C

Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.