Just as I am - July 26, 2023

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:49-72; PM Psalm 49, [53]
 1 Samuel 25:23-44; Acts 14:19-28; Mark 4:35-41

In Mark 4, Jesus leaves the crowd where he was telling parables and says to the disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” They obligingly pile into a nearby vessel. The Apostle Mark describes it this way: “And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.” The words “just as he was” stuck out to me this morning. Jesus was ferried into the lake just as he was. He did not change clothes. He was not otherwise prepared. They welcomed him just as he was. This tiny phrase got into my head and reminded me of a song.

“Just as I Am” is one of those songs in the hymnal that stretches across the Christian denominations. The lyrics began as a poem, written in 1835 by Charlotte Elliott. She experienced a disabling illness in her early 30s and lived the next 50 years dependent upon others for her care. Cesar Malan was a Swiss minister and Elliott’s spiritual mentor. He encouraged her to channel the frustrations of her physical limitations into lyrical verse through faith in God, so that she could feel peace. Elliott wrote upwards of 150 hymns, with “Just as I Am” her most well-known. While she was in the depths of uselessness and loneliness, she remembered the phrase “Come to Christ just as you are”, words of inspiration from her spiritual director. It was in contemplating these words – and the salvation offered through Jesus Christ – that the text of “Just as I Am” sprang forth.

The first verse reads:

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Elliott began with sacrifice – Jesus’ selfless gift of dying for her (and all of us). It was in his death that invitation was opened to Elliott. Jesus called her to come to him. And she responded, “O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” She moved in the subsequent verses of the song to the sin in her soul, the internal conflict of doubt and fear, her spiritual poverty and physical impairments…and all of that was welcomed, pardoned, cleansed, and relieved by Jesus. All of the barriers and impediments of her life were broken down by Jesus. All of the storms were quelled. What remained was an open path, calling her to our Lord: “Now, to be thine, yea thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

“Just as I Am” was one of evangelist Billy Graham’s favorite songs to play during the close of revivals. It was the signal for people to come forward and make their personal commitment to Christ. Perhaps this sounds deeply familiar to some of you with evangelical Christian roots. Someone remarked to me recently that at their childhood church, “Just as I Am” would be played ad nauseum until someone came forward at the end of the service. As such, the song became a symbol of internal angst and discomfort – in a way not intended by its author!

It is worth noting that this song approaches relationship with Jesus as a one-on-one, personal interaction. There are times when we need to inhabit that individual space, reflecting on living as “God and me”. It is that granular focus that invites us into the context that you and I are known by God, loved by God, called by God. It is that premise that drives our prayers of Jesus holding our loved ones’ hands – or holding our very own hands – guiding us through a time of tumult or fear.

This is different from many of the prayers we say in the Episcopal church. Common prayer is a corporate act, in which we lift our voices and lives together to God. Our worship forms us as the Body of Christ – the many coming together as one. Depending on where we sit and how we are, our prayers may feel more individual or more united. When we sing this song in our Episcopal tradition, remember that Charlotte Elliott’s words are calling you to zoom in on your own faith in the living God, and then zoom out to see the majesty of all that Jesus redeems. This is the invitation to live fully into the promise extended to us by God. And to that, we say together, “Amen!”

Blessings and peace,

Katherine+

Questions for Self-Reflection and Daily Challenge: 

Take a moment to listen to Willie Nelson’s version of “Just as I Am”. Reflect on the ways you feel invited to come to Jesus. What conflicts trip you up? And, for a real challenge, who will you invite to walk alongside you? Consider asking a spiritual director to pray with you about the obstacles to your faith.