Lift our eyes beyond the duties

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  • 1172

Lift our eyes beyond the duties and the pleasures of today,
to discern a glimpse of heaven in the signs along the way,
till we catch the gleam of hope behind the clouds that spell dismay—
Lord, we turn our hearts to you.

2. Tune our ears to hear the joyful songs of praise the angels sing;
take our thoughts beyond the turmoil that our daily troubles bring,
till the evidence of faith is our obedience to the King:
Lord, we turn our hearts to you.

3. Let us understand the richness of the promises you give,
and the wonder of the call to come to you and truly live:
may we taste the joy and freedom of the people you forgive—
Lord, we turn our hearts to you.

4. Your compassion and your justice meet in Christ, the Son of Man,
all your generous intentions from before the world began:
as you work for the fulfilment of your all-embracing plan,
Lord, we turn our hearts to you.

5. Help us share in your compassion; help us stand for what is right;
in the face of each injustice, give us courage for the fight.
Make us bold and wise and eager as the heralds of the light:
Lord, we turn our hearts to you.

MARTIN E LECKEBUSCH © 2010 KEVIN MAYHEW LTD
Martin E Leckebusch

The Christian Life - Submission and Trust

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A look at the author

Leckebusch, Martin Ernest

b Leicester 1962. King Edward VII Coll, Coalville, Leics; Oriel Coll Oxford; BA/MA (Maths) 1983; Brunel Univ Middx, MSc (Numerical Analysis) 1984. He worked for 16 yrs as a Computer Systems Programmer, followed by 5 as Support Specialist. In 2006 he was redirected to the role of Technical Design Authority for the IBM mainframe platform within Lloyds TSB. He has belonged to various CofE and Free Churches, including 6 yrs as a Methodist Local Preacher (1992–1998); currently a member of Kendal Rd Baptist Ch, Longlevens, Gloucester since 2001. His hymn-writing began in 1987; 144 hymn texts were collected in More than Words, 2000, some of which had appeared in earlier books including NewStart (1999, 6 hymns in a total of 71), Sing Glory (14 hymns), and Praise! A collection of 150 texts based on the Psalms, for singing to well-known tunes, appeared in 2006, giving a total of 275 texts by then in print. 6 of these are in Carol Praise (2006). In that year he also joined the Text Advisory Group (TAG) of Jubilate Hymns which he later chaired, and he also consults regularly with representatives of the more informal songwriters; he is active in the Hymn Soc, and lives with his family in Gloucester. In the 2005 edn of A Panorama of Christian Hymnody, which features 2 of his texts, Paul A Richardson notes their ‘conservative theology, biblical imagery and structural ingenuity’, adding that ML ‘advocates a restoration of hymnody in traditional forms to those who, like him, are in the charismatic wing of the church’. He is also keen to explore some issues often neglected by contemporary writers. By 2010, which saw the publication of a further collection Never Let the Songs End, the total number of his hymns had exceeded 400. Nos.270, 278, 285, 322, 381, 586, 604, 665, 756, 770, 771, 841, 856, 882, 892, 926, 936, 942, 1023, 1029, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1114, 1123, 1124, 1125, 1139, 1140, 1141, 1142, 1167, 1168, 1170, 1171, 1173, 1176, 1177, 1182, 1194, 1196, 1197, 1202, 1206, 1207, 1208, 1217, 1240, 1243.