When He Cometh

Scripture and Biblical Echoes

The Beauty of the Hymn

William O. Cushing, 1856. Tune JEWELS, George F. Root, 1852. Written explicitly for children, the hymn's imagery — gems, jewels, stars, a crown being assembled piece by piece — gives an abstract eschatological idea (the gathering of the redeemed) a concrete, almost tactile quality that adults often find they have not outgrown. My own observation — that watching children's response to it remains moving — suggests the hymn's real power may be less in the words alone than in what it is like to watch it land on a child for the first time.

My Reflection

This remains for me the authentic children’s hymn of the collection, inseparable from story time and the smiles of children. Its jewels, stars and preciousness make heaven imaginable without fear, and my vivid continuing recollection is why it remains here. I remember the children’s response more clearly than any abstract explanation. Their faces supplied the commentary: the song told them that they were seen, cherished and gathered among Christ’s precious jewels.