Author: N. Hermann Hymnal: The Lutheran Hymnary #582 (1913) Meter: 8.7.8.7.8.8.7 Lyrics: 1 When my last hour is close at hand,
Lord Jesus Christ, attend me;
Beside my bed, my Savior, stand,
To comfort, help, defend me:
Into thy hands I will commend
My trembling soul at my last end,--
How safe in Thy sweet keeping!
2 Countless as sands upon the shore,
My sins are thronging round me;
But though they grieve and wound me sore,
They cannot yet confound me;
My sins are numberless, I know,
But o'er them all thy blood doth flow,
Thy wounds and death uphold me.
3 Lord, Thou hast joined my soul to Thine,
In bonds no power can sever;
Grafted in Thee, the living vine,
I shall be Thine for ever:
Lord, when I die, I die to Thee,
Thy precious death hath won for me
A life that never endeth.
4 Since Thou hast risen from the grave,
The grave cannot detain me;
"Christ died,"--"Christ rose again" to save,
These words shall still sustain me;
For where Thou art, there I shall be,
That I may ever live with Thee:
This is my joy in dying.
5 To Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, I will
With arms outstretched betake me;
I sleep in Thee--so sound--so still,
No mortal man can wake me!
For Jesus Christ, God's Son, I wait
To open me the heavenly gate,
Which leads to life eternal. Topics: The Last Things Preparation for Death; The Last Things Preparation for Death Tune Title: [When my last hour is close at hand]
When my last hour is close at hand