Friday Hymn: Jesus, I Come to Thee
JESUS, I COME TO THEE
-1877-
Words by: William T. Sleeper
Music by: George C. Stebbins
In her book, In My Father’s House, Corrie ten Boom tells about the children she worked with for years who had disabilities. One day she walked through the old cobblestone streets of Haarlem, in Holland, to visit one of the boys who attended her little class. In his cramped house, she found him up in his attic room. “I went upstairs and found Henk on his knees in front of a chair. Before him was an old dirty picture of Jesus on the cross. I stopped at the door to listen, for Henk was singing. His voice was soft and hoarse.
Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come! Jesus, I come!
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee!
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee!”
Corrie writes, “I’ve heard Bach played by Schweitzer, and anthems sung by gigantic choirs, but at that moment I felt as if I were in a cathedral with angels surrounding me. I tiptoed back downstairs without disturbing him, praising God again for the love he brings…”
The hymn was written about 50 years before, in Worcester, Massachusetts, where William T. Sleeper was engaged in mission work. He later traveled to Maine as a missionary, establishing three churches, before returning to Worcester where he ministered for thirty more years. I hope he would be delighted to hear his song sung by a little boy in an attic in Holland.
