HYMN FOR THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Come unto me, ye weary
- Gracia Grindal
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Text: William Chatterton Dix, 1837-1898 Tune: 7676D
1 "Come unto me, ye weary,
and I will give you rest."
O blessed voice of Jesus,
which comes to hearts oppressed!
It tells of benediction,
of pardon, grace, and peace,
of joy that hath no ending,
of love which cannot cease.
2 "Come unto me, dear wand'rers,
and I will give you light."
O loving voice of Jesus,
which comes to cheer the night!
Our hearts were filled with sadness,
and we had lost our way,
but thou hast brought us gladness
and songs at break of day.
3 "Come unto me, ye fainting,
and I will give you life."
O cheering voice of Jesus,
which comes to aid our strife!
The foe is stern and eager,
the fight is fierce and long,
but thou hast made us mighty,
and stronger than the strong.
4 "And whosoever cometh
I will not cast him out."
O patient love of Jesus,
which drives away our doubt,
which, though we be unworthy
of love so great and free,
invites us very sinners
to come, dear Lord, to thee!
REFLECTION
Jesus wraps up his instructions on discipleship with a prayer of thanksgiving to his Father for revealing these mysteries to the simple and children, rather than the scholars. He finishes with his much loved words of promise that he will give us rest and that his burden is light. These are wonderful and comforting words to hear after the grim warnings he has given us about what we can expect as we bring his word to others: Persecution and hatred. While these words may seem contradictory, they are not. We are looking at what is penultimate and ultimate. We can live through these terrors and sufferings, which could be awful, because we know that ultimately we will be safe.
Fear of being hurt is often enough to stop people from standing up for what is the truth, but the disciples, who will have seen Christ’s resurrection, could firmly believe that they were safe. Christ by his resurrection had shown that he was victor over sin, death and the devil. Thus, the martyrs could go to the stake in confidence that no matter their suffering and pain, Christ would be there to give them the victory.
One of the proofs of the resurrection, in fact, the church has used down through the ages, is that none of the apostles, who all were brutally martyred, denied the resurrection. The apostles had been suspected of plotting to lie and say that Christ had been raised from the dead even if it were not true. None of them, however, denied the resurrection as they each faced a terrible death.
They had reason to recall these words as their lives came to their violent ends. In fact, they knew the rest Jesus promised to provide was theirs already, even as they took courage during their suffering. As the hymn has it, Christ has made us “stronger than the strong.” The apostles must have felt his promise coming true as they were facing their torture.
His promise to give us rest is another way for him to say, don’t worry. Fear will make you fail., but you need not fear. Fears and anxieties cause us to imagine all kinds of fearful things that keep us from doing what we have been called to do for our Lord. Here he promises us the strength to endure. Rest in that.
HYMN INFO
Chatterton Dix is unusual for his time. He lived during the Anglo-Catholic revival in England which was led by Anglican divines of every kind. Dix, however, was a layman, a successful businessman, who became a hymn writer. His most famous hymn. is "Once in David's Royal City."The tune for this text is not settled. And while the hymn is loved by many, and the performances below are genuine, it doesn’t seem as if it appears in festival versions.
LINKS
Burbank First UMC/Piano version
St. Matthew Lutheran Choir
WCF Music