613

Come to the Savior Now

Full Text

1 Come to the Savior now,
he gently calls to you;
in true repentance bow,
let him your heart renew.
Christ came that you may know
salvation, peace, and love,
true joy on earth below,
a home in heaven above.

2 Come to the Savior now,
all who have wandered far;
renew your solemn vow,
for his by right you are;
come like poor, wandering sheep
returning to his fold;
his arm will safely keep,
his love will ne'er grow cold.

3 Come to the Savior, now,
he offers all to you,
and on his merits you
can plead for life anew.
No vain excuses frame,
respond to Christ today!
None who to Jesus came
were ever sent away.

4 Come to the Savior, all,
whate'er your burdens be;
hear now His loving call,
"Cast all your care on me."
Come, and for every grief,
in Jesus you will find
a sure and safe relief,
a loving friend and kind.

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Scripture References

Thematically related:

Further Reflections on Scripture References

Like 534, this invitation hymn makes use of biblical phrases and imagery. We are called to come to the Savior in repentance and for renewal. The text makes an urgent, direct appeal (st. 3) to come to Christ for salvation, relief from our burdens, and eternal rest.

 

Bert Polman, Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

The gospel calls sinners to forsake their sin and turn to Jesus Christ in repentance that they may be forgiven. Our Song of Hope, stanza 16 says, “The Holy Spirit sends the church to call sinners to repentance, to proclaim the good news that Jesus is personal Savior and Lord.” The Canons of Dort, III-IV, 8 assures: “All who are called by the gospel are called earnestly. For urgently and most genuinely God makes known in the Word what is pleasuring to him: that those who are called should come to God.”

613

Come to the Savior Now

Confession

God of compassion,
you are slow to anger and full of mercy,
welcoming sinners who return to you with penitent hearts.
Receive in your loving embrace
all who come home to you.
Seat them at your bountiful table of grace,
that, with all your children,
they may feast with delight
on all that satisfies the hungry heart.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
[Harold M. Daniels in BCW, p 248(231), PD]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Everlasting God,
fountain of all life and the true home of every heart:
our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
Yet we confess that our hearts have been enslaved
by selfish passion and base desire.
We have sought after many things
and have neglected the one thing needful.
We have not loved you with our whole hearts;
help us to turn to you and find forgiveness.
Lead us home, that we may again find in you
our life and joy and peace. Amen.
[John Paarlberg in Reformed Worship 34:7,alt]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Assurance

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you, says the Lord.
—from Isaiah 49:15; 66:12-13, NRSV
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Additional Prayers

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.  We are so often wanderers in the earth, wandering from you, wandering from your people, wandering even from our own best interests.  But you are the one that calls us from our wanderings, reaching to us in silence and in tumult, calling us gently, calling us back to our heart’s true home.  We give you thanks and pray in your gracious name.  Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
613

Come to the Savior Now

Tune Information

Name
INVITATION
Key
E♭ Major
Meter
6.6.6.6 D

Recordings

613

Come to the Savior Now

Hymn Story/Background

John M. Wigner wrote this text in 1871 for use with the young people of the church where his father was a Baptist minister. The hymn was published in his father's Supplement to the Baptist Psalms and Hymns in 1880. (Wigner's father had also compiled the original edition of this hymnal in 1858.)
 
This invitation hymn makes use of several biblical phrases and imagery. We are called to come to the Savior in repentance and for renewal. The text makes an urgent, direct appeal (st. 3) to come to Christ for salvation, relief from our burdens, and eternal rest.
 
Frederick C. Maker composed INVITATION for this text. Also known as COME TO THE SAVIOR, the tune was published in the Bristol Tune Book (1881), edited by Alfred Stone and others. Well matched to the text, INVITATION begins gently but involves more dramatic melodic gestures in its final half. Sing in parts, perhaps unaccompanied.
— Bert Polman

Author Information

Educated at London University, John M. Wigner (b. King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, 1844; d. London, England, 1911) served in various capacities at his church, especially working with young people. After 1876 Wigner was employed in the Indian Home Office in London.
— Bert Polman

Composer Information

Frederick C. Maker (b. Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, 1844; d. Bristol, 1927) received his early musical training as a chorister at Bristol Cathedral. He pursued a career as organist and choirmaster—most of it spent in Methodist and Congregational churches in Bristol. His longest tenure was at Redland Park Congregational Church, where he was organist from 1882-1910. Maker also conducted the Bristol Free Church Choir Association and was a long-time visiting professor of music at Clifton College. He wrote hymn tunes, anthems, and a cantata, Moses in the Bulrushes.
— Bert Polman
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