Scripture Verse

Two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus…and they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. Luke 24:13–15

Introduction

portrait
Martha E. Pettus

Words: Mar­tha E. Pet­tus, The Way­side Shrine (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Sher­man, French & Com­pa­ny, 1914), pag­es 85–87, alt.

Music: In­dia Ba­sin Scott Wer­de­baugh, 1975 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

If you know where to get a bet­ter pho­to of Pet­tus,

portrait
Scott Werdebaugh (1951–)

Lyrics

The day wears on to ev­en­tide,
His re­sur­rect­ion day;
Emmaus bound, two friends, in grief
Begin their home­ward way.
In brok­en words they tell it o’er—
All, all their bit­ter loss:
The riv­en rocks, the op­ened graves,
The dark­ness of the cross.

O sor­row-la­den hearts! ye walk
Still on­ward in the gloom,
Who yet be­lieve your ris­en Lord
Is laid in Jo­seph’s tomb.
We trust­ed that it had been He!
(So hope will strive with fear);
And while they thus of Him com­mune,
Jesus Him­self draws near.

Jesus Him­self, and yet un­known!
Thus, in His love and pow­er,
He ev­er meets the sor­row­ful
In sor­row’s dark­est hour.
O Mas­ter! As we jour­ney on,
From morn till ev­en­tide,
This, on­ly this, we ask: to know
Thee ev­er by our side!

Still on the high­way side of time
That voice be­loved to hear,
That sym­p­athy di­vine—to know
Jesus Him­self draws near!
What if our eyes are hold­en, still
Thy face we may not see?
Dost Thou not with Thy breth­ren walk,
Whene’er they talk of Thee?

Why are ye sad? So gra­cious­ly
He makes their cares His own;
Each hu­man sigh finds ec­ho there,
Before His Fa­ther’s throne!
Our friend draws near, walks by our side
Into the twi­light dim;
And though the night of grief be dark,
Its sha­dow falls on Him.

O Lord! In all our jour­ney­ing
Thy pre­sence we dis­cern,
And while we walk and talk with Thee,
Our hearts with­in us burn.
To know Thee, Lord! know more and more,
The won­der of Thy grace;
Bring us, one day, to talk with Thee,
And see Thee face to face!