Just As I Am . . .

AM Psalm 50 • PM Psalm [59, 60] or 8, 84
1 Samuel 28:3-20 • Acts 15:1-11 • Mark 5:1-20

I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for good, old schmaltzy 19th-century hymns, and today’s reading from Acts provides an opportunity to visit and reflect on one of my favorites.

First off, the passage from Acts: Paul and Barnabas have been traveling throughout Antioch, Phoenicia, and Samaria, preaching the gospel and converting the newly faithful. A question arises: Should the Gentiles be required to be circumcised as part of their conversion? So Paul and Barnabas travel to Jerusalem to consult with the elders, who generally assert that the ritual circumcision is necessary. Paul objects: “[W]hy do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

As an Episcopal chorister for nearly five decades, I think immediately of the lovely hymn, “Just As I Am,” with a tune composed by William Batchelder Bradbury and lyrics by the British poet Charlotte Elliott. It’s number 693 in our hymnal.

The story of how the lyrics were composed is engaging and moving. Ms. Elliott (1789-1871) had established herself as a successful poet by 1834, when she became deathly ill. Her brother, the Rev. H. V. Elliott, had conceived of a plan to establish St. Mary’s Hall, a school for the daughters of the clergy, but Charlotte was too sick contribute time and energy to this endeavor. Not only physically ill but also suffering from depression, she picked up a pen and wrote the verses that helped her establish a gospel of pardon and peace—these verses are the words of “Just As I Am.” Charlotte recovered and went on to write about 150 more hymns, but “Just As I Am” remains the most popular and most frequently sung. Here is a lovely rendition of the hymn, performed by the London Philharmonic Choir: Link

Written by David Jolliffe

At St. Paul’s, David sings in the choir, assists in delivering groceries from St. James Missionary Baptist, and helps to coordinate the Morning Reflections program.