Words: , 1867:

I com­posed the hymn ear­ly in 1867, after I had been read­ing a very beau­ti­ful poem, entitled, “Bro­thers and a Ser­mon.” The pa­thos of the vers­es im­pressed me very for­ci­bly at the time. I read them over and over again, and fin­al­ly, clos­ing the book, I scrib­bled on an old scrap of pa­per my first idea of the vers­es, be­gin­ning, “O Jesus, Thou art stand­ing.” I al­tered them a good deal sub­se­quent­ly, but I am for­tu­nate in be­ing able to say that af­ter the hymn left my hands it was ne­ver re­vised or al­tered in any way.

Music: St. Edith, , 1799, and , 1871. Al­ter­nate tune:

  • St. Ca­ther­ine (Dale), , 1861

O Jesus, Thou art standing, outside the fast closed door,
In lowly patience waiting to pass the threshold o’er:
Shame on us, Christian brothers, His Name and sign who bear,
O shame, thrice shame upon us, to keep Him standing there!

O Jesus, Thou art knocking; and lo, that hand is scarred,
And thorns Thy brow encircle, and tears Thy face have marred:
O love that passeth knowledge, so patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal, so fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus, Thou art pleading in accents meek and low,
“I died for you, My children, and will you treat Me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow we open now the door;
Dear Savior, enter, enter, and leave us nevermore.