The Shepherd and the Sheep

Jehovah is my Shepherd,
And I His blood-bought sheep,
My feet need never wander
If close to Him I keep;
He knows His sheep, and calls each name,
His love is evermore the same.

He also is the vine-stock,
While through each branch doth flow
The living sap, that causeth
The luscious fruit to grow:
He loves to gather just such fruit,
Which draws its life from one deep root.

And of that mystic Body,
The Church, He is the Head,
And I of it a member
Arisen from the dead:
The power that raised Him from the dead
Hath raised me with the Church's Head.

The Bridegroom now in heaven
Awaits the coming Bride,
Who soon shall be forever.
Close to His pierced side-
Reflection of His glorious grace,
And ever to behold His face.

H. McD