Come with Us, O Blessed Jesus (ELW 501)
Come with us, O blessed Jesus,
with us evermore to be.
And, in leaving now thine altar,
let us nevermore leave thee!
Let thy bright celestial chorus
never cease the heav’nly strain;
but in us, thy loving children,
come with peace, good will to reign.
Devotion
The hymnal implies that this hymn is to be sung “post-communion”—which is to say, following the Lord’s Supper. Or kind of like life! Our entire lives are meant to be lived “post-communion”—whether we have celebrated the Lord’s Supper at worship today, or not. We are meant to live in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We live always in the season of “post-Easter.”
As we see at the conclusion of this week’s gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus promises to accompany his followers throughout the journey of life. He promises always to hear them, and always to remain at their side (cf. 18:20). The season “post-Easter” is filled with promises like these.
In this kind of life, as this little hymn reminds us, we may watch for the “celestial chorus” to break in from time to time, equipping us for gospel deeds of peace and goodwill. We may “leave now thine altar,” transition again from church to street, and look to Jesus to walk at our side “evermore.”
Prayer
Come with us, O blessed Jesus, with us evermore to be.
And, in leaving now thine altar, let us nevermore leave thee!
Let thy bright celestial chorus never cease the heav’nly strain;
but in us, thy loving children, come with peace, good will to reign.
Amen.