O Christ What Can It Mean for Us
O Christ, what can it mean for us to claim you as our Lord
A challenging discipleship hymn that takes seriously the cost of claiming Christ as Lord. The stanzas ask what lordship means in practice — serving the poor, forgiving enemies, taking up the cross — and call the church to embody the claims it makes.
History & Background
Written by Delores Dufner OSB (b.1939) in 1991. A hymn on the meaning of Christian discipleship and the cost of following Christ.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 431
Bulletin Note
O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us — Delores Dufner, 1991
Preaching Connection
The cost of Christian discipleship — what it means to actually follow Christ as Lord.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Messianic longing → divine ordering → covenantal law → liberation from evil → joyful fulfillment
Themes
Discipleship Cost Justice Following Christ