Lord of Life and King of Glory

517 Lord of Life and King of Glory

1 Lord of Life and King of Glory,
   Who didst deign a child to be,
   Cradled on a mother’s bosom,
   Throned upon a mother’s knee,
   For the children Thou hast given
   We must answer unto Thee.

2 Since the day the blessed Mother
   Thee, the world’s Redeemer, bore,
   Thou hast crowned us with an honor
   Women never knew before;
   And that we may bear it meetly
   We must seek Thine aid the more.

3 Grant us, then, pure hearts and patient,
   That in all we do or say,
   Little souls our deeds may copy,
   And be never led astray;
   Little feet our steps may follow
   In a safe and narrow way.

4 When our growing sons and daughters
   Look on life with eager eyes,
   Grant us, then, a deeper insight
   And new powers of sacrifice,
   Hope to trust them, faith to guide them,
   Love that nothing good denies.

5 May we keep our holy calling
   Stainless in its fair renown,
   That when all the work is over
   And we lay the burdens down,
   Then the children Thou hast given
   Still may be our joy and crown.
                         Christian Burke
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This hymn, which occurs in about 30 hymnals, appears to be one of two that she wrote. Other bibliographic information is pretty sketchy for someone who died in the 1940s.
</idle musing>