Go to Dark Gethsemane
Go to dark Gethsemane,
ye that feel the tempter’s power;
your Redeemer’s conflict see,
watch with him one bitter hour.
Turn not from his griefs away;
learn of Jesus Christ to pray.
See him at the judgment hall,
beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;
learn of Christ to bear the cross.
Calvary’s mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at his feet,
mark that miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete.
“It is finished!” hear him cry;
learn of Jesus Christ to die.
Early hasten to the tomb
where they laid his breathless clay;
all is solitude and gloom.
Who has taken him away?
Christ is risen! He meets our eyes;
Savior, teach us so to rise.
You can hear the tune to which this is often sung here.
(Except for D. and Bill, who should under no circumstances view this clip)
March 21, 2008 at 11:46 am
How in the world is this not in our hymnbook?
Thank you, Kristine.
March 21, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Thank you for posting the words to this most moving of hymns.
Last night while eating dinner with my family, I thought of Christ eating, for the last timel, with his disciples. I thought of the night that lie ahead for him; the weight of our sins; the kiss of betrayal.
Today I think of Him hanging on a cross of shame and death, for us. And so I feel, even in cyberspace, to talk of Christ; to worship Him; to rejoice in Him.
Although this list is one that is geared more towards intellectual exchanges, I nevertheless feel moved, especially by the words of this beautiful hymn, to give thanks for the Nazarene, who is the source of our greatest hope and deepest joy.
March 21, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Thank you for adding the clip with the music. Listening to it while singing the words made this a richer experience for me.
Oh, I miss Santa Semana from Argentina…
March 22, 2008 at 6:56 am
Who wrote the words?
March 22, 2008 at 7:05 am
Oh, thanks Tod–I’m embarrassed not to have included that. It’s Richard Redhead, from _Tunes Ancient and Modern_ (1853).
March 22, 2008 at 8:14 am
Words by James Montgomery.
I know this is in the public domain, but I can’t find a PDF with both the lyrics and the music. CDPL.ORG has one, but it’s a different tune. Help?