Scripture Verse

I must be about My Father’s business. Luke 2:49

Introduction

Words & Mu­sic: In­ge E. Die­ken­ga, in Hymns of Chris­tian En­dea­vor, ed­it­ed by Sam­uel W. Ad­ri­ance (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Unit­ed So­ci­ety of Chris­tian En­dea­vor, 1888), num­ber 92 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Die­ken­ga (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Let us be about our Fa­ther’s bu­si­ness,
Every day, as we go
On our way here be­low:
Never let it suf­fer thro’ re­miss­ness,
But seek to make it thrive and grow.

Refrain

Then re­spond to the call,
He has use for us all,
And His work is a la­bor of love;
And the days soon will come
In the great Har­vest Home,
For our rest and re­joic­ing above.

Do you ask what is the work He sends us?
’Tis what­e’er we can do,
’Tis to bear and be true,
And to use the tal­ents that He lends us,
That oth­ers may ac­cept Him too.

Refrain

When in Hea­ven and the toil is end­ed,
Oh, what bliss it will be
In that place then to see
Those dear souls whom we on earth be­friend­ed,
And led to Him who made them free.

Refrain

illustration
Jesus and the Doctors
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)