Lead on, O King Eternal.
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home;
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong,
And now, O King Eternal,
We lift our battle song.
Lead on, O King Eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace;
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Or roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heav’nly kingdom comes.
Lead on, O King Eternal,
We follow not with fears;
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted o’er us;
We journey in its light:
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.
Ernest Shurtleff, 1887
Read John 18:36-38
(With deeds of love and mercy. One consistent message through Jesus’s ministry was that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. God performed the ultimate deed of love and mercy when Christ came to earth to live and die to redeem us. Now we as citizens of the kingdom are commissioned to imitate our King through our deeds of love and mercy. The world desperately needs them.)