Come My Way, My Truth, My Life, ELW 816
Come, my way, my truth, my life:
Such a way as gives us breath;
Such a truth as ends all strife;
Such a life as killeth death.
Come, my light, my feast, my strength:
Such a light as shows a feast;
Such a feast as mends in length;
Such a strength as makes his guest.
Come, my joy, my love, my heart:
Such a joy as none can move;
Such a love as none can part;
Such a heart as joys in love.
Devotion
This is both the simplest and most profound of all the hymns I love. Though only one word in the whole hymn has more than one syllable, it is not fast food. Ralph Vaughn Williams' haunting tune from his "Five Mystical Songs" makes it even more mysterious.
If you know it, hum along and the rising and falling movement in each verse is even richer. I love the clusters of three words in each first line and the way Herbert returns to each word with such strong and original commentary. The last line of each verse especially swirls the phrase around our mouth for maximum effect. "Such a life as kill...eth death. Such a heart as joys... in love."
As we read it again and again, this love song opens our heart for our Lord to come to us.
Prayer
Come my joy, my love, my heart. Lord God, come to us, you who are way, truth, life. You who are our light, feast and strength, come to us. Amen.