Come to Jesus Josh Blakesley, Sarah Hart

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Lyrics

1. People of the God of ages,
welcome to your brand new day.
Leave the world and all its trappings,
come into amazing grace.
Let go your ev’ry fear.
There is only mercy here.
Refrain
Come to Jesus,
hope that frees us,
life that breathes in us.
Come to Jesus,
and believe that he is love.
Oh, come.

2. All who walk alone in shadow,
all who stand with faith assured,
those who follow with abandon,
those who long for something more,
these are the gifts we bring,
our lives, the offering.
Bridge
Welcome pauper, rich man, leper,
hungry exiled, joyful, poor,
come you pris’ner, free man, sinner,
come to the Lord.
Come to the Lord.

© 2005, 2006, Joshua Blakesley and Sarah Hart. Published by spiritandsong.com®, a division of OCP. All rights reserved.

Artist Reflection

When I first began thinking of a direction for Waiting, the album on which "Come to Jesus" can be found, I was really thinking of the liturgy. I had psalms, Mass parts, Communion Songs, Offertory Songs, Sending Songs, and the list goes on. The one song I was missing was a good Gathering Song.

I was in Nashville recording the tune "Stand Up," for the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress and found some extra time. Still looking for direction on the album, I called on the expertise of songwriter extraordinaire, Sarah Hart. We sat down for a couple of hours and toyed with the idea of a Gathering Song and "Come to Jesus" was born.

Someone once told me that writing a song is messy. Words and lyrics fly everywhere. Melodies come to light, then get thrown out faster than you can sing them. Chord progressions reveal themselves, and then decide they're better off in someone else's song. There's quite a bit of dying to self in songwriting. For me, it's a constant process of choosing something better to replace what already came out. With "Come to Jesus," it was no different. It was originally a fast-paced tune (potentially too fast for Gathering) that be-bopped along with a lot of pushes. After letting friends listen and critique, it became slower — more of a ballad — which the final recording reflects.

The thing that I've found most satisfying about "Come to Jesus" is its versatility. I've used it in concerts and praise and worship venues. It can also be used for Gathering, Offertory, or Communion. It's great throughout Ordinary Time but also has powerful significance during Lent or Advent. As a matter of fact, St. Timothy's Church in Arizona recorded an unbelievable version of it so their parish could have an Advent CD! It's always amazing to watch how God chooses to use a song. I'm excited to see the ways that the Lord has moved and continues to move through "Come to Jesus."

— Josh Blakesley