Develop a Discipleship System
He Comes To Us As One Unknown
Words by F. Richard Garland, 2011 (based on a text by Albert Schweitzer)
Music: BROTHER JAMES' AIR, by James Leith Macbeth Bain, 1915
He Comes to Us as One Unknown (pdf)
"He Comes to Us as One Unknown" is rooted in the words written by Albert Schweitzer in his book, The Quest for the Historical Jesus. Schweitzer, who gave up two brilliant careers, one as a gifted writer and theologian, and that of an accomplished organist and musician, to become a medical doctor in Africa, wrote of what it means to hear and respond to the call of Jesus:
He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside. He came to those men who knew him not. He speaks to us the same word: "Follow thou me!" and sets us to the tasks which he has to fulfill for our time. He commands. And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in his fellowship, and as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience who He is.
The text is related to two Scriptures: Matthew 4:18-20 and Mark 2:16-20 and several topics: Call to Christian Life, Christian Experience, Commitment, Discipleship and Service, and Invitation to Discipleship.
Contact Us for Help
View staff by program area to ask for additional assistance.