Text: Christian Keymann 1607-1662) Tune: Andreas Hammerschmidt (1612-1675)
1 Jesus I will never leave,
Who for me Himself hath given;
Firmly unto Him I'll cleave,
Nor from Him be ever driven.
Life from Him doth light receive--
Jesus I will never leave.
2 Jesus I will never leave
While on earth I am abiding;
What I have to Him I give,
In all cares in Him confiding.
Naught shall me of Him bereave--
Jesus I will never leave.
3 Though my sight shall pass away,
Hearing, taste, and feeling fail me;
Though my life's last light of day
Shall o'ertake and sore assail me;
When His summons I receive,
Jesus I will never leave.
4 Nor will I my Jesus leave
When at last I shall come thither
Where His saints He will receive,
Where is bliss they live together.
Endless joy to me He'll give--
Jesus I will never leave.
5 Nor for earth's vain joys I crave
Nor, without Him, heaven's pleasure;
Jesus, who my soul did save,
Evermore shall be my Treasure.
He redemption did achieve--
Jesus I will never leave.
WE SEE THE LONELY PEOPLE
Text: Gracia Grindal
We see the lonely people
Though we are not alone.
We feel a nameless aching
And absence in the bone.
No fire or hearth can kindle
Our spirits cold as ice,
We know that something's missing,
Is it our Sun, the Christ?
We promised we would follow
Our master to the end,
But now he seems so distant,
A long neglected friend.
It seems that we have wandered
Far from our Father's home,
And now we hear him calling,
"Come home, my children, come."
The words you said are hidden
In memories so deep.
And now they tease and haunt us,
We wonder what they mean.
O Jesus, fill our absence
With embers from your Word,
A spark enough to stir up
Our faith again, O Lord.
7676 D
REFLECTION
This is a bit of a startling Scripture for the year. We are just barely through worshiping a baby in the manger, and now he is an adolescent in the temple debating the elders. While we can read it as the story of Jesus achieving manhood, and learn that he understands that his real father is God, there are still issues we have to grapple with. My main one is how on earth Mary and Joseph could have lost track of him for three days! How is that even possible?
While the main theological points are important, the human question of the loss of Jesus in the press of humanity all around them is also important, and perhaps more relevant to our life of faith. Some have used the account as an illustration of how easy it is to lose the Christ, even if he has been central and dear to us.
Bach’s cantata BWV 154 “Mein Liebster Jesus ist verloren/my beloved Jesus is lost,” meditates on the story in that way. The cantata's emphasis on the loss considers both how to find the lost Jesus and where—the temple—and concludes with the joy one has in finding him. He is in his word and we will be refreshed on hearing it and receiving him in the sacrament. Nevermore the singer says, will I leave him.
We have all probably had moments in which we have awakened to the sense that our lives have been so taken up with the daily issues of work and family that we have lost the main thing. In this downtime between Christmas and Epiphany we might even meditate on the fact that we may have lost the Christ in all the wrappings.
The good news is the good news—he has come down to us, to be with us, and he is here for us to be found and "and be our Treasure.” Do not let him go. This is for all the people who feel abandoned and without meaning today. Ponder with Mary what all these things mean. Go to his word, to the temple to hear and enjoy his presence and the riches he has to give.
HYMN INFO
The writer of the hymn is Christian Keymann. He lived through the Thirty Years War and was known as a fine hymn writer and teacher. Andreas Hammerischmidt, from Bohemia, a contemporary, was considered one of the major Lutheran composers of the day. My hymn text on the lesson follows Bach’s interpretation, but I add the theme of the loneliness and anxiety of those who feel they not only are lost, but they have lost something precious.
LINKS
Bach Cantata BWV 154 Mein Liebster Jesus ist verloren
Translation
Cantata
Jesus laß ich nicht von mir
Meinum Jesum laß ich nicht
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