1 Take up your cross, the Savior said,
if you would my disciple be;
take up your cross with willing heart,
and humbly follow after me.
2 Take up your cross; let not its weight
fill your weak spirit with alarm;
Christ's strength shall bear your spirit up
and brace your heart and nerve your arm.
3 Take up your cross; heed not the shame,
and let your foolish pride be still;
the Lord for you accepted death
upon a cross, on Calvary's hill.
4 Take up your cross, then, in Christ's strength,
and calmly every danger brave:
it guides you to abundant life
and leads to victory o'er the grave.
|First Line:||Take up your cross the Savior said|
|Title:||Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said|
|Author:||Charles William Everest (1833, alt.)|
|Scripture:||Psalm 23:4; Matthew 10:38; Matthew 16:24-27; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:18-24; Luke 9:57-62; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 14:25-33; John 12:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 2:21|
|Topic:||Atonement; Discipleship and Mission; Eternal Life|
|Composer (attributed to):||Freeman Lewis (1814)|
|Harmonizer:||John Leon Hooker (1984)|
|Copyright:||Harm. © 1984 John Leon Hooker|
Written by a 19-year-old in Connecticut, this challenging text has been widely printed on both sides of the Atlantic. It is strengthened by its resolute repetition of the same four words at the beginning of each stanza and by the appropriately stark shape note tune.
|Audio recording:||Audio (MP3)|