Come Ye Sinners

I came across this song last week on Mars Hill's worship music website (Seattle - Mark Driscoll, not Rob Bell). I wondered who actually adapted this Joseph Hart hymn to a contemporary version and I've found recordings by Todd Agnew and Cambridge. I think I like Cambridge's version best, but Todd Agnew's version came out first, and his version is featured in this video.

This song and video really hit me in a big way after coming back from a retreat with our youth group. One of the messages we heard from the main speaker was from Luke 5:27-31, that we needed to stop avoiding the "sinners." Jesus said that "It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick...," and he risked his reputation on a regular basis to call "sinners to repentance."

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

This verse should be taken to heart by those of us who have already been saved and can tend to get comfy only interacting with other believers. We can't expect people to get better before we are willing to associate with them. We can't expect that people will come up to us and ask "What must I do to be saved?" If we recognize that the world is trapped in darkness, then those of us with the light have to be willing to take the initiative and go into the darkness, bearing Christ's light. How else will we get the chance to share the Savior with them? This song is great to sing, but it is more important that we live it out, actually seeking opportunities to call "sinners" to come to the saviour.