Dismiss Me Not Thy Service, Lord

Dismiss me not Thy serv­ice

Lord

But train me for Thy will;

For even I

in fields so broad

Some du­ties may ful­fill;

And I will ask for no re­ward

Except to serve Thee still.

How ma­ny serve

how ma­ny more

May to the serv­ice come;

To tend the vines

the grapes to store

Thou dost ap­point for some;

Thou hast Thy young men at the war

Thy lit­tle ones at home.

All works are good

and each is best

As most it pleas­es Thee;

Each work­er pleas­es

when the rest

He serves in char­ity;

And nei­ther man nor work un­blest

Wilt Thou per­mit to be.

O ye who serve

re­mem­ber One

The work­er’s way who trod;

He served as man

but now His throne

It is the throne of God:

The scep­ter He hath to us shown

Is like a blos­som­ing rod.

Firm fi­bers of the tree of life

Hath each com­mand of His

And each with clus­ter­ing blos­soms rife

At ev­ery sea­son is;

Bare on­ly

like a sword of strife

Against love’s en­emies.

Our Mas­ter all the work hath done

He asks of us to­day;

Sharing His serv­ice

ev­ery one

Share too His son­ship may:

Lord

I would serve and be a son;

Dismiss me not

I pray.