Title: Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain
Author: James Montgomery, 1771-1854
Relevant Scripture verse: “But one of the soldiers pierced [Jesus’] side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” – John 19:34 ESV
1 Come to Calvary's holy mountain, Sinners, ruined by the fall;
Here a pure and healing fountain Flows to you, to me, to all,
In a full perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died.
2 Come in sorrow and contrition, Wounded, impotent, and blind;
Here the guilty, free remission, Here the troubled peace may find.
Health this fountain will restore; Those who drink shall thirst no more.
3 Those who drink shall live forever; 'Tis a soul-renewing flood.
God is faithful; God will never Break his covenant of blood,
Signed when our redeemer died, Sealed when he was glorified.
When we stop and think about it, there are a good number of “church words” that get thrown around among Christians, the meanings of which are not immediately apparent to not only those outside of the faith, but among churchgoers themselves. One such word is “calvary,” which is often confused with the word “cavalry,” which refers to a unit of mounted soldiers.
“Calvary” (calvaria), however, is the Latin word that means “skull.” It is the Latin translation of the Hebrew word “Golgotha,” which means “place of the skull.” Christians in the western part of the old Roman Empire came to use a Latin translation of Bible called the Vulgate, and so it makes sense that Latin words would find their way into our hymns. This “place of the skull,” apparently a rock formation in the shape of a human cranium, was the place where Jesus was nailed to a cross.
What is God’s attitude toward human beings? There is always a temptation to think of God as detached and aloof from the life of the world. But the life of Jesus shows us that God is anything but that. With Jesus, God came to us deep in the flesh, even to the point of death, death on a cross.
Images of Jesus’ crucifixion can easily evoke feelings of sadness and pity. But for Christians, we also know that the cross of Jesus is good news. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus’ side is pierced, out flows a stream of blood and water. Jesus’ death becomes for us a pure and healing fountain, in the words of Montgomery’s hymn. Jesus’ death is not something for us to mourn, but for us to, in a subdued manner, celebrate. And it is because of Jesus’ resurrection that we know this sacrifice of Jesus is good news, gospel.
We know from the Bible that God does not desire the death of sinners, but rather that they would turn to Him and live. God takes the initiative. God pursues sinful humanity through the incarnation of the Son of God, his death, and his resurrected and ascended life. He was there at calvary long ago, and he is still with us now, which we grasp by faith.
James Montgomery was a British Christian who had an interesting and at times controversial career. He was the son of Moravian Christian missionaries. Moravians are a close cousin to Lutherans, and they came to have a presence worldwide through their extensive missionary program. But Montgomery’s many hymns, which are sometimes compared in quality to those of Charles Wesley, have had wide appeal throughout the Christian world. Montgomery has left us with a great treasure in this hymn, and through it people everywhere hear the call to turn once again to our God, who is still here to bestow mercy and healing to those wounded by sin.
You can access here a video of a Lutheran congregation singing Montgomery’s hymn at this link: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=come+to+calvary%27s+holy+mountain&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYXqzjNFyHIw&ia=videos
Author: James Montgomery, 1771-1854
Relevant Scripture verse: “But one of the soldiers pierced [Jesus’] side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” – John 19:34 ESV
1 Come to Calvary's holy mountain, Sinners, ruined by the fall;
Here a pure and healing fountain Flows to you, to me, to all,
In a full perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died.
2 Come in sorrow and contrition, Wounded, impotent, and blind;
Here the guilty, free remission, Here the troubled peace may find.
Health this fountain will restore; Those who drink shall thirst no more.
3 Those who drink shall live forever; 'Tis a soul-renewing flood.
God is faithful; God will never Break his covenant of blood,
Signed when our redeemer died, Sealed when he was glorified.
When we stop and think about it, there are a good number of “church words” that get thrown around among Christians, the meanings of which are not immediately apparent to not only those outside of the faith, but among churchgoers themselves. One such word is “calvary,” which is often confused with the word “cavalry,” which refers to a unit of mounted soldiers.
“Calvary” (calvaria), however, is the Latin word that means “skull.” It is the Latin translation of the Hebrew word “Golgotha,” which means “place of the skull.” Christians in the western part of the old Roman Empire came to use a Latin translation of Bible called the Vulgate, and so it makes sense that Latin words would find their way into our hymns. This “place of the skull,” apparently a rock formation in the shape of a human cranium, was the place where Jesus was nailed to a cross.
What is God’s attitude toward human beings? There is always a temptation to think of God as detached and aloof from the life of the world. But the life of Jesus shows us that God is anything but that. With Jesus, God came to us deep in the flesh, even to the point of death, death on a cross.
Images of Jesus’ crucifixion can easily evoke feelings of sadness and pity. But for Christians, we also know that the cross of Jesus is good news. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus’ side is pierced, out flows a stream of blood and water. Jesus’ death becomes for us a pure and healing fountain, in the words of Montgomery’s hymn. Jesus’ death is not something for us to mourn, but for us to, in a subdued manner, celebrate. And it is because of Jesus’ resurrection that we know this sacrifice of Jesus is good news, gospel.
We know from the Bible that God does not desire the death of sinners, but rather that they would turn to Him and live. God takes the initiative. God pursues sinful humanity through the incarnation of the Son of God, his death, and his resurrected and ascended life. He was there at calvary long ago, and he is still with us now, which we grasp by faith.
James Montgomery was a British Christian who had an interesting and at times controversial career. He was the son of Moravian Christian missionaries. Moravians are a close cousin to Lutherans, and they came to have a presence worldwide through their extensive missionary program. But Montgomery’s many hymns, which are sometimes compared in quality to those of Charles Wesley, have had wide appeal throughout the Christian world. Montgomery has left us with a great treasure in this hymn, and through it people everywhere hear the call to turn once again to our God, who is still here to bestow mercy and healing to those wounded by sin.
You can access here a video of a Lutheran congregation singing Montgomery’s hymn at this link: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=come+to+calvary%27s+holy+mountain&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYXqzjNFyHIw&ia=videos