Easter Four - I heard the voice of Jesus

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Come unto me and rest’ ...” This is one of my favourite hymns and it has been in my mind all week as I have wondered about how to respond to our reading from the gospel of John set for this week and to be true to the retreat that I am on with fellow clergy after the demands of Easter. (Easter Four. Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelations 7:9-17; and John 10:22-30.) So instead of my usual sermon, a simple meditation; informed by the gospel of John and the focus of the Jesus sayings in this gospel, and this wonderful hymn written by Horatius Bonar, born nearly two hundred years ago in Scotland. Suggesting that at its heart faith remains much the same over the centuries.

You may like to check out what I wrote on these texts three years ago.

Listening for his Voice

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Come unto me and rest; lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.’ I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in him a resting–place, and he has made me glad.” (If you go to YouTube there are many examples of this hymn to listen to.)

Jesus, the divine nature of God that has made a nest if you will, or a home, in the human experience and invites us - as we are - into the embrace of God. Our weariness, our failure, our fears, our grandiose dreams and demands that wear us out – all are invited to rest, to be at rest, in Jesus, to lean upon his bosom.

So soon after remembering his death and resurrection we might meditate on the image of hiding or resting in his wounds. Remember how last week we heard of Thomas’ need to see for himself the wounds of Christ and Jesus invitation to Thomas to place his hands in the wound in his side and his fingers in the wounds in his hands. For many generations it has brought comfort in terrible times to imagine hiding ourselves in the wounds of Christ, to place our small and specific sufferings inside the cosmic life giving suffering of the Christ. This notion is conveyed in the prayer known as Soul of Christ.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me, Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me, Water from the side of Christ, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me, O good Jesus, hear me Within thy wounds hide me, Permit me not to be separated from thee From the wicked foe defend me, At the hour of my death call me And bid me come to thee, That with thy saints I may praise thee For ever and ever.   Amen. 

Saint Ingnatius of Loyola 

Our hiding place is not far away from suffering, but located in the heart where we are most safe and most comforted, for in the wounded heart of Jesus there is no distance from love, compassion, healing, redemption – we are there – at the centre of where the love of God is made real, visceral and visible.

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one, stoop down and drink and live.’ I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in him.”

In the gospel of John there are several Jesus sayings which begin “I am the ... bread of life, the shepherd, the gate ... the living water.” This beautiful image of Jesus as the life-giving water which quenches our thirst at every level and revives our soul and enlivens us. A sip of water might keep us alive another day to battle on but we are promised a deep quenching drink that will not merely prolong this life but will fill us with life itself.

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘I am this dark world’s light; look unto me, your morn shall rise, and all your day be right.’ I looked to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my sun; and in that light of life I’ll walk till travelling days are done.”

In the opening lines of John’s gospel we hear that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

And in this hymn with its reference to these words from John’s gospel and the creation story when in the beginning the lights of the heavens were made there is this beautiful sense of us being orientated to the true centre of the universe, our true north, the light that cannot go out –Jesus who is our destination and our travelling companion.

Over the three verses there is this lovely movement from being embraced in our weariness and given a resting place; of being revived by living water so that we become most fully live; and of being given a direction, an orientation to the light that will fill all of our days until our travelling is done and we are finally at rest, restless no more.

Sometimes the best theology is to be found in music. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming or singing this hymn over the next few days. See which phrase speaks most directly to your heart. And if it is a different tune that occurs to you then listen to the voice of Jesus and be glad for what he sings, or whispers, or shouts, or mimes for you. For it is in listening that we are called, responded to, led, and formed in his image. Listening more than speaking, listening before doing, listening for his voice among the myriad voices.  For most of us this is a speaking in Scripture, in the words of other people of faith such as our hymn writer, in nature, in the urgings of our own hearts. And sometimes for some there is a voice which makes itself heard in our own ears. We listen with our hearts, our minds, our all. And we will hear our own name being spoken, our name on the lips of the Saviour. The message for each of us is unique and always the same – you are loved and you are my own.

Even so, come risen Lord Jesus Christ.

This is my work informed by everything I have heard, read and experienced. I am indebted to the wisdom of others.