Lois Carter     St. John's Episcopal Church, Wilson

Many hymns lend themselves to the season of Lent, but one that seems to be sung by all Christian denominations, especially at this time in the church year is "just as I Am." It is found in our Hymnal 1984 at #693.

The text was written by Charlotte Elliott, who was a gifted writer of poetry. Many of her poems were humorous and entertaining, but due to circumstances beyond her control she became an invalid. This caused her to look at life quite differently.

Charlotte was born in Clapham, England on March 18, 1789. She was an artist as well as a writer of verse. Becoming bedridden at the age of 30 caused her to have great periods of despondency. In 1822 a noted Swiss evangelist, Dr. Caesar Malan, visited her at her home in Brighton and impressed on her this truth, "You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." This became for her one of those a-ha moments when she discovered her personal relationship with Christ.

Charlotte did not write her text for this hymn until 1836, fourteen years after her conversion experience. Obviously, she never forgot the words of her friend, for they from the very essence of these lyrics. This hymn was published the same year she wrote it in the second edition of The Invalid's Hymn Book, a collection tat contained 115 of her original works. She wrote this hymn as her contribution to a school that her pastor brother was trying to build in Brighton, England., She felt so helpless to assist in this worthy endeavor that she contributed this hymn. In the long run, the hymn brought in more funds than all the bazaars and other projects combined.

 In all, Charlotte wrote approximately 150 hymns. she is generally regarded as one of the finest of all English women hymn writers. It is said that after her death in 1871, more than a thousand letters were found among her papers from persons all over the world expressing what this one hymn had meant in their lives.

The tune, "Woodworth," composed by the well-known American gospel musician, William B. Bradbury, was first used for another hymn. Bradbury was known as a Sunday school musician and wrote many songs and hymns for that use. Years later this tune was put to Charlotte's words by the American songwriter, Thomas Hastings, and there it has remained ever since. You may recognize the name William Bradbury from some of the other hymns he write, namely Jesus Loves Me, He Leadeth Me and Sweet Hour of Prayer.

The message of this hymn is one of which we as believers need to be reminded frequently — that our eternal standing and peace with God depends solely on Christ's merits and not our own. Have a blessed Lent.