O JESUS, THOU ART STANDING

O Jesus, Thou art standing, outside the fast closed door,
In lowly patience waiting to pass the threshold o’er:
Shame on us, Christian brothers, His Name and sign who bear,
O shame, thrice shame upon us, to keep Him standing there!

O Jesus, Thou art knocking; and lo, that hand is scarred,
And thorns Thy brow encircle, and tears Thy face have marred:
O love that passeth knowledge, so patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal, so fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus, Thou art pleading in accents meek and low,
“I died for you, My children, and will you treat Me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow we open now the door;
Dear Savior, enter, enter, and leave us nevermore.

About the writer: William Walsham How, a bishop of the Church of England, was born in Shrewsbury, England in 1823. He graduated from Oxford in 1845 and was ordained to the ministry in 1846. He held various positions in the Church of England before he became bishop in 1888. He died in 1897. He compiled Psalms and Hymns, 1854, and contributed several hymns to Church Hymns, 1871. Bishop How’s hymns are characterized by a simplicity of manner and a warmth of feeling that have made some of them very popular.

Key Verse: Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. –Revelation 3:20