{"id":1424,"date":"2011-01-29T12:43:53","date_gmt":"2011-01-29T12:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/words-for-the-ages-words-for-your-soul-jesus-i-come.html"},"modified":"2011-01-29T12:43:53","modified_gmt":"2011-01-29T12:43:53","slug":"words-for-the-ages-words-for-your-soul-jesus-i-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/words-for-the-ages-words-for-your-soul-jesus-i-come.html","title":{"rendered":"Words for the Ages, Words for Your Soul: “Jesus, I Come”"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a recent Laity Lodge retreat, our musician\/worship leader was Sandra McCracken<\/a>. Sandra, a popular singer\/songwriter, has released several solo albums and participated in many others. Her lyrical depth and engaging voice have made her one of the most sought-after of contemporary Christian artists. (Photo: Laity Lodge)<\/p>\n

\"laity-lodge-center-summer-250.jpg\"<\/form>\n

But Sandra is also part of a movement among Christians to rediscover and redeploy fine old hymns. Sometimes she sings them with familiar tunes. Sometimes she writes new music for the original lyrics, or uses tunes written by other contemporary musicians. Sandra contributes to Indelible Grace Music<\/a>, an organization that is helping college students (and even those of us who have been out of college for decades) discover the riches of hymns. <\/p>\n

Sandra introduced a hymn at Laity Lodge that I have not sung or heard before, at least not that I can remember. It’s called “Jesus, I Come.”  It was written by William T. Sleeper in 1887. You can see a group from Indelible Grace performing this song here<\/a>. (Sandra is not in this performance.)<\/p>\n

Here are the lyrics of this thoughtful hymn: <\/p>\n

\n
\n

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
\nJesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
\nInto Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
\nJesus, I come to Thee;
\nOut of my sickness, into Thy health,
\nOut of my want and into Thy wealth,
\nOut of my sin and into Thyself,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.<\/p>\n

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
\nJesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
\nInto the glorious gain of Thy cross,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.
\nOut of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
\nOut of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
\nOut of distress to jubilant psalm,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.<\/p>\n

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
\nJesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
\nInto Thy blessed will to abide,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.
\nOut of myself to dwell in Thy love,
\nOut of despair into raptures above,
\nUpward for aye on wings like a dove,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.<\/p>\n

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
\nJesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
\nInto the joy and light of Thy throne,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.
\nOut of the depths of ruin untold,
\nInto the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
\nEver Thy glorious face to behold,
\nJesus, I come to Thee.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What a stirring hymn, celebrating God’s grace and healing. Thanks, Sandra, for introducing me to this gem. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a recent Laity Lodge retreat, our musician\/worship leader was Sandra McCracken. Sandra, a popular singer\/songwriter, has released several solo albums and participated in many others. Her lyrical depth and engaging voice have made her one of the most sought-after of contemporary Christian artists. (Photo: Laity Lodge) But Sandra is also part of a movement…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[203],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hymns-and-songs"],"yoast_head":"\nWords for the Ages, Words for Your Soul: "Jesus, I Come" - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/words-for-the-ages-words-for-your-soul-jesus-i-come.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Words for the Ages, Words for Your Soul: "Jesus, I Come" - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At a recent Laity Lodge retreat, our musician\/worship leader was Sandra McCracken. Sandra, a popular singer\/songwriter, has released several solo albums and participated in many others. Her lyrical depth and engaging voice have made her one of the most sought-after of contemporary Christian artists. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}