

                          "To Thee My Heart I Offer"
                            by Unknown author, 1653
                                  Text From:
                      THE HANDBOOK TO THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
               (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1942) p.72



        1. To Thee my heart I offer,
        0 Christ-child sweet and dear;
        Upon Thy love relying,
        Oh, be Thou ever near!
        Take Thou my heart and give me Thine
        And let it be forever mine,
        0 Jesus, holy, undefiled,
        My Savior meek and mild.

        2. My heart within is glowing,
        0 Christ-child sweet and dear.
        I love Thee, Lord and Savior;
        Oh, be Thou ever near!
        I see Thee in a manger laid,
        Near cattle resting unafraid;
        I see Thy deep humility
        And lowly bow to Thee.

        3. What brought Thee to the manger,
        0 Christ-child sweet and dear?
        Thy love for me, a stranger, --
        Oh, be Thou ever near!
        0 Lord, how great is this Thy love
        That reaches down from heaven above,
        Thy love for us, by sin defiled,
        That made Thee, God, a child!

        4. With all my heart and being,
        0 Christ-child sweet and dear,
        I love Thee, and Thee only;
        Oh, be Thou ever near!
        My heart I in Thy manger lay,
        Let it remain there and for aye
        Draw it to Thee that it may be
        Secure eternally.

        5. Let me be Thine forever,
        0 Christ-child sweet and dear;
        Uphold me with Thy mercy
        And be Thou ever near.
        From Thee I gladly all receive,
        And what is mine to Thee I give.
        My heart, my soul, and all I own:
        Let these be Thine alone.

        _______________________________________________________
        Notes from _The Lutheran Hymnal_
        Hymn #89 
        Text: Luke 2:7
        Author: unknown, 1653
        Translated by: composite
        Titled: "Mein Herz will ich dir schenken"
        Tune: "Cordis donum"
        1st Published in: _Clausener Gesangbuch", 1653
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        This text was converted to ascii format for Project Wittenberg
           by Cindy A. Beesley and is in the public domain. You may
        freely distribute, copy or print this text. Please direct any
            comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the
              Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.

                          E-mail: bob_smith@ctsfw.edu

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