# 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord

Words: Rev. Brian Wren

Tune: Land of Rest

Brian Wren, theologian, activist, and one of the major forces among contemporary hymn writers today, wrote this text. It is one of his first efforts as a hymn writer and has gained widespread acceptance through inclusion in most major English language hymnals.

This hymn was written in 1968 for his congregation at Hockley, Essex, “to sum up a series of sermons on the meaning of communion.” The text begins with the individual worshiper, who comes “with joy to meet my Lord”; moves into the corporate dimension, “the new community of love”; and ends in the spirit of the dismissal in the Eucharist, “together we’ll live and speak his praise.”

This tune, based on Sacred Harp tune from the mid 1800’s, was originally called “Longing for home” and was linked with the text “O, land of rest.” Different harmonizations were developed over the years. In 1938, Annebel Morris Buchanan printed the current version in Folk Hymns of America and it was adopted for the 1940 Hymnal, also matched with “Jerusalem, my happy home,” # 620.

Here’s a nice offering from Grace -St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Not sure what city .. FACEBOOK