“Jesus Calls Us / Softly and Tenderly” is a setting of the tunes for two beloved hymns, both emphasizing Jesus’ loving and enduring invitation to follow him as a disciple, to cast one’s cares on him, and to repent and be transformed by his mercy and grace.
The first hymn, “Jesus Calls Us,” was written by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), the renowned Anglo-Irish poet whose works also include “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” “Once in Royal David’s City,” and “There is a Green Hill Far Away.” Its first verse states:
Jesus calls us o’er the tumult
Of our life’s wild, restless sea;
Day by day his sweet voice sounding,
Saying, “Christian, follow me.”
Subsequent verses address Jesus’ calling of the disciples Simon and Andrew and his call to all Christian followers to renounce worldly pleasures and concerns, with the final verse expressing the Christian’s aspiration to hear and respond to the call with love and obedience.
The second hymn, “Softly and Tenderly (Jesus is Calling),” expresses the idea that there is a necessary urgency in responding to Jesus’ call — that life is short and time is fleeting — with a refrain after each verse pleading:
Come home, come home;
you who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
The tune for “Jesus Calls Us” was written by the English organist and composer William Henry Jude (1851-1922). The tune as well as the text of “Softly and Tenderly” were written by Will L. Thompson (1847-1909), an American composer and music publisher. Beloved for generations, it was sung by the choir of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church at the 1968 funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is widely used today as an invitation hymn in evangelical churches.
Score, parts (Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba) — $12.99