A hymn that you hear on a lot of Christian hymn compilations is “Softly and Tenderly”. It is one of those hymns that people think of when they hear the words “altar call” and a number of famous Christians including Martin Luther King Jr. had it sung at their funerals.
A story from the Net Hymnal page for it: When the world-re?nowned lay preach?er, Dwight Ly?man Moody, lay on his death bed in his North?field, Mass?a?chu?setts, home, Will Thomp?son [the hymn’s composer] made a spe?cial vi?sit to in?quire as to his con?di?tion. The at?tend?ing phy?si?cian re?fused to ad?mit him to the sick?room, and Moody heard them talk?ing just out?side the bed?room door. Re?cog?niz?ing Thomp?son??s voice, he called for him to come to his bed?side. Tak?ing the Ohio po?et-com?pos?er by the hand, the dy?ing evan?gel?ist said, ??Will, I would ra?ther have writ?ten ??Soft?ly and Ten?der?ly Je?sus is Call?ing?? than an?y?thing I have been able to do in my whole life.??
The words (with the refrain bolded):
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He??s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
The first two lines of the refrain are probably some of the best sentiments put to music in Christianity — “come home, come home, you who are weary, come home.” How awesome and wonderful is it that our God is calling us to come home to his presence when we are so weary and beaten bloody by the world? The last two lines aren’t so bad either — “earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home!”
As always, here’s a YouTube video of the song. It’s a duet with Selah and Cynthia Clawson. The tune is what is sung at the beginning. Selah comes in doing harmony toward the middle. I chose this one not because I like the harmony but because it was almost impossible to find any other ones where it was sung in a non-twangy country way.
