296. Thanksgiving for Faithful Ministry

Once again demonstrating how hymns often come to me in threes, this hymn completes a trilogy about the pastoral ministry that I've had planned for quite some time. The tune, conveniently titled THANKSGIVING, is one that I actually wrote in 2015 for this hymn.

For faithful ministers, O Lord,
We give You thanks; for by Your word
They call us to repentance,
And plead through Christ to be restored,
Who once bore all man's sentence.

Again, we thank You for their news
That grace and peace to us diffuse
Through Jesus' blood and merit,
Whereby our sins You now excuse
And quicken us in spirit.

We thank You for the holy bath
Whereby they placed us on the path
To peace and life unending;
And for absolving us from wrath,
Your cleansing word extending.

We thank You for the holy meal
Wherein they feed us, fully real,
Our Savior's body broken,
Blood shed: that we may taste and feel
Your pledge, not merely spoken.

For leading us before the cross,
For comfort in our times of loss,
We also thank You for them.
And though their spirits may as dross
Be sifted, Lord, restore them!