Wrestling Jacob

 

wrestling jacobI have only sung this hymn of Charles Wesley’s once, to a lovely 18th century tune called ‘David’s Harp’. You will find both words and tune in the old English Hymnal at number 378. It is a fine and moving meditation on Genesis 32:22-32.

 

 

 

 

Come, O thou Traveller unknown, Whom still I hold, but cannot see!                                     My company before is gone, And I am left alone with Thee;                                                   With Thee all night I mean to stay, And wrestle till the break of day.

I need not tell Thee who I am, My misery and sin declare;                                                          Thyself hast called me by my name, Look on Thy hands, and read it there;                         But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou? Tell me Thy name, and tell me now.

Yield to me now, for I am weak, But confident in self-despair;                                            Speak to my heart, in blessings speak, Be conquered by my instant prayer;                          Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move, And tell me if Thy Name is Love.

’Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me! I hear Thy whisper in my heart;                             The morning breaks, the shadows flee, Pure,  universal love Thou art                                    To me, to all, Thy mercies move; Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.

I have taken the selection of these four verses as in the English Hymnal, and also used their change in the last line. If you are interested you can easily find the whole poem (including the last line!) on the internet.

 

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About Scott Anderson

Formerly an Anglican priest (ordained 1975) received into the Catholic Church in February 2012, and ordained to the Diaconate on 27th July 2013. I took early retirement, and divide my time between London and northern France. I am deeply committed to the Ordinariate as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the search for unity. Like many Ordinariate members I feel a personal gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict, together with loyalty to our Holy Father, Pope Francis. My blog tries to make a small contribution to the growth of the Ordinariate by asking questions (and proposing some answers) about the 'Anglican Patrimony'. I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of growth and decline, and therefore concerned for appropriate means of evangelisation in western Europe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing the People of God and that we must be open to him. On Saturday 19th October 2013, I was ordained to the Priesthood at Most Precious Blood, Borough, by the Most Revd Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, for the service of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham. I continued to serve the Ordinariate group and Parish at Most Precious Blood until the end of 2014. Subsequently, I helped in the care of the Ordinariate Groups at Hemel Hempstead and Croydon, and in the Archdiocese of Southwark, until the beginning of September 2015. With the agreement of my Ordinary, , the Bishop of Amiens appointed me Administrator of the Parish of Notre Dame des Etangs (Pont Remy) in Picardie, France. After nine years as parish priest, with wonderful and supportive parishioners, I decided that the time had come to retire and return to the UK. A nasty accident four years ago and contracting COVID has left me physically rather feeble! I shall be ever grateful for the years in France, a wonderful ending to the years of parish ministry. So here I am back in the UK, taking a long rest, setting up home, coping with all the new Safeguarding procedures - and wondering what next.
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