HERE I AM TO WORSHIP

HERE I AM TO WORSHIP
                       Tim Hughes

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God


You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to meKing of all days
So highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly you came to the earth you created
All for love's sake became poor

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
(repeat)

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
(repeat 3x)

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
(repeat)

For here we have no lasting home, we are looking for the city that is to come.  Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God.  Heb. 13:14-15     (For) no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9    (Therefore) by the power of God’s glory may you be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever may come giving thanks to the Father, who made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.  God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the beloved Son, in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:11-14 

We began Midday prayer with this song of praise, ‘Here I am To Worship.’  It is a song filled with confidence in the One who came down from heaven to freely give his life to us.   Jesus’ freedom came from the sure knowledge that he was in the hands of his loving Father.

Early on in our retreat, I woke up with a song gentle wafting through my head by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.  It was the love song, “Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can’t help falling in love with you.”  Now whether it was the King of Love, the King of all days, singing it to me or I singing to him, it all depended on the moment.  Jesus has offered his hand, his whole life to me as a continual act of love - always new and always flowing – to be with me on this journey from darkness to light.   When I take his hand, offering my life to him; I long always to be falling more and more in love with him as he leads me on my life’s journey.

Jesus had the freedom to accept God’s plan of love for our redemption.  Do we have the freedom to accept whatever God places before us, whether good or bad, with a peaceful heart?  It is by no means easy when we do not know our future.  But our constitutions call us to “be a clear and radiant witness of the love God has for us in Christ.” Const. 5   By faith in the living Christ and by the prayer of praise and intercession which through Him rises up to the Father, (we) live out at a deep level the Paschal Mystery of Christ, dead and risen.”  Const. 4  It is a conundrum to me when I hear about the martyrs who joyfully went to their death witnessing to Christ.  I don’t think I’d have the courage. We are called, though, to be martyrs like Therese, or Teresa, or Celeste was:  ‘Offering ourselves to the Father as a living eucharist for the world.’ Const. 35    Alone, I do not have the strength but together and with the Lord leading us “we can radiate paschal joy among ourselves and around us giving witness to the Risen Christ.”  Const. 21