Today Your Mercy Calls Us
Today your mercy calls us
This hymn expresses the Lutheran understanding of God's constant offer of mercy through Christ, inviting sinners to daily repentance and renewal of faith. It reflects the tension between human sinfulness and divine grace central to Lutheran soteriology.
History & Background
Written by Oswald Allen, an English clergyman, in 1868. The hymn was first published in various Victorian hymnals and has been widely adopted in Lutheran hymnody.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 766
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 304
- Lutheran Service Book — 915
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 695
- Lutheran Worship — 347
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 279
- Voices Together — 530
Bulletin Note
Written by Oswald Allen in 1868, this hymn expresses the Reformed evangelical tradition while resonating deeply with Lutheran penitential practice, emphasizing daily repentance and the constant renewal of grace through Christ.
Preaching Connection
This hymn crystallizes the Law-Gospel dialectic: it names our sinfulness and death, then pivots to God's merciful summons to turn and live—the daily work of the cross in the believer's life.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law (human need and failure) → Gospel (God's persistent grace) → Response (pledge of discipleship)
Themes
God's mercy and grace Repentance and forgiveness Call to conversion Divine compassion Daily renewal