O Christ, Our True And Only Light
O Christ, Our True and Only Light
O Christ, our true and only Light,
Illumine those who sit in night;
Let those afar now hear Thy voice,
And in Thy fold with us rejoice.
And all who else have strayed from Thee,
O gently seek; Thy healing be
To ev’ry wounded conscience giv’n;
And let them also share Thy heav’n.
O make the deaf to hear Thy Word;
And teach the dumb to speak, dear Lord,
Who dare not yet the faith avow,
Though secretly they hold it now.
Shine on the darkened and the cold;
Recall the wand’rers from Thy fold;
Unite those now who walk apart;
Confirm the weak and doubting heart.
So they with us may evermore
Such grace with wond’ring thanks adore,
And endless praise to Thee be giv’n
By all the church in earth and heav’n.
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
THIS HYMN reminds us that God seeks those who are lost. Jesus told the story of the Prodigal’s father, who watched for the return of his runaway son. God is like that, “gently seeking” those who have strayed, offering his healing to those who will receive it.
This may be the earliest missionary hymn we have. Johann Heermann was a Lutheran pastor in the German village of Köben. This town was at the center of conflict during the Thirty Years’ War, which pitted Protestants against Catholics throughout central Europe. Historians estimate that half the population of Germany died in the fighting. And there, as the smoke cleared, Heermann was calling for lost souls to come to the Savior.
I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
John 10:14-16
From the book
