I Was Glad They Came to Call Me

Representative text cannot be shown for this hymn due to copyright.

Versifier: Calvin Seerveld

Calvin Seerveld (b. 1930) was professor of aesthetics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto from 1972 until he retired in 1995. Educated at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the University of Michigan; and the Free University of Amsterdam (Ph.D.), he also studied at Basel University in Switzerland, the University of Rome, and the University of Heidelberg. Seerveld began his career by teaching at Bellhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi (1958-1959), and at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois (1959-1972). A fine Christian scholar, fluent in various biblical and modern languages, he is published widely in aesthetics, biblical studies, and philosophy. His books include Take Hold of God and Pull (1966), The Gr… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: I was glad they came to call me
Title: I Was Glad They Came to Call Me
Versifier: Calvin Seerveld (1982)
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D
Language: English
Copyright: © Calvin Seerveld

Notes

A hymn of joy over Jerusalem, and a prayer for the peace of the city of God.

Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-5
st. 2 = vv. 6-9

This is one of fifteen "Songs of Ascents" (120-134) the Israelites sang as they went up to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Psalm 122 must have been intended for the moment when the pilgrims reached the city: "Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem" (v. 2). The psalm hails Jerusalem as the city where the tribes may go up to worship at the LORD's temple and where the divinely chosen house of David rules in justice over God's people (st. 1). As such, Jerusalem (Zion) is the earthly center of the kingdom of God, the focal point of the worship, life, and security of God's covenant nation (other psalms of Zion are 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 125, and 137). It is most fitting, then, that out of their love for Jerusalem the pilgrims conclude this song with a prayer for the city's peace (st. 2). Calvin Seerveld (PHH 22) versified Psalm 122 in 1982 for the Psalter Hymnal.

Liturgical Use:
Beginning of worship; expressions of the church's commitment to the city or kingdom of God; prayer for the coming of the kingdom.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune

WERDE MUNTER

JESU JOY is a form of the tune WERDE MUNTER, MEIN GEMUETE by Johann Schop (b. Hamburg [?], Germany, c. 1595; d. Hamburg, 1667). In 1614 Schop was appointed court musician in the Hofkapelle at Wolfenbüttel. A virtuoso violinist, he also played the lute, cornetto, and trombone. He became a musician f…

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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #122
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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #122

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