Scripture Verse

Two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus…while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. Luke 24:13–15

Introduction

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Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885)

Words: Chris­to­pher Words­worth, The Ho­ly Year (Lon­don: Riv­ing­tons, 1862), num­ber 47. The last stan­za was add­ed in the 1863 edi­tion.

Music: St. George’s Wind­sor George J. El­vey, 1858 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
George J. Elvey (1816–1893)
National Portrait Gallery

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Lyrics

When two friends on East­er day
To Em­ma­us bent their way,
On that Pas­chal ev­en­tide
Christ was walk­ing at their side.
Then their hearts within them glowed
When Him­self to them He showed
In the Scrip­tures as a king
Glorified by suf­fer­ing.

Thou art ev­er with us, Lord,
Walking in Thy ho­ly Word;
And Thy voice, O Sav­ior dear,
In that Word we ev­er hear;
What the ho­ly pro­phets meant
In the An­cient Tes­ta­ment,
Thou art open­ing to our view,
Lord, for ev­er in the New.

And we, Lord, Thy pre­sence feel
When we at Thy ta­ble kneel;
When we feed up­on Thee there,
We too at Em­ma­us are;
Then our eyes are op­en­èd
In the break­ing of the bread;
Faith Thee ev­er pre­sent sees
In Thy ho­ly mys­ter­ies.

Though not kenned by car­nal eye,
Yet we know Thee ev­er nigh;
Though Thou art much fur­ther gone,
Even to Thy heav’n­ly throne,
Yet we, Lord, be­hold Thy face
Ever in Thy means of grace:
There Thou walk­est by our side,
There Thou with us dost abide.

Be with us in weal and woe
As we on our jour­ney go;
Be with us in ev­ery age
Of our earth­ly pil­grim­age;
And on death’s dark ev­en­tide
May we see Thee at our side;
When we rise again, may we
Live for ev­er, Lord, with Thee!