Come, Lord Jesus
#1018 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “Come, Lord Jesus”
The song that opens and closes the Church's beloved Conference Center production 'Savior of the World' — now a hymn for everyone's Advent longing.
Born on a Stage
On November 28, 2000, the curtain rose for the first time in the brand-new Conference Center Theater on Temple Square. The inaugural production was 'Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection' — a musical drama of the scriptural accounts of Christ's coming, written under assignment from Church leaders by a council of member writers and composers gathered through a Churchwide invitation to LDS artists.
'Come, Lord Jesus' frames the whole production: it opens the show and closes the final act. Its music is by David A. Zabriskie, a composer who started writing at age twelve and went on to earn a doctorate in composition from Northwestern — and whose résumé also includes the Nauvoo Pageant and the Church's 2002 Olympics production.
Twenty-Four Years of Christmases
'Savior of the World' became a Temple Square Christmas tradition, performed year after year in the theater it opened, and licensed to stakes and communities across the country. For a generation of families, this melody has meant December on Temple Square.
The song itself is an Advent prayer — the ancient Christian longing voiced in scripture's very last verses: 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus.' It waits for Him twice over, looking back to the manger and forward to the return.
From Theater to Hymnbook
On September 12, 2024, 'Come, Lord Jesus' was released as hymn #1018 in the second batch of Hymns—For Home and Church, alongside 'Amazing Grace' and 'This Is the Christ.' A song written for a stage now belongs to every meetinghouse.
The Church points singers to Alma's prophecy of the condescension of God and Luke's account of the Bethlehem stable — the moments the production put on stage, and the hymn now puts in our mouths.
Did You Know?
- The song both opens and closes 'Savior of the World,' the production that inaugurated the Conference Center Theater in November 2000.
- The production's script and score were written by a council of Church-member artists gathered through a 1998 Churchwide invitation to LDS writers and composers.
- Composer David Zabriskie began composing at age twelve and earned a doctorate in composition from Northwestern University.
- 'Savior of the World' has been performed at Temple Square Christmases for over two decades, and stakes around the world license their own productions.
- The title echoes the Bible's closing prayer: 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus' (Revelation 22:20).
Scripture Connections
- Alma 7:9–13 — Alma's prophecy of the Savior's birth and condescension — the doctrine at the heart of the production and the hymn.
- Luke 2:4–7 — Bethlehem, the manger, no room in the inn — the scene the song waits for.
- Revelation 22:20 — 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus' — scripture's final prayer, and the hymn's title.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- This song asks the Savior to come — both remembering Bethlehem and looking forward to His return. Which are you thinking of when you sing it?
- The song was written for a play about the Savior's birth and Resurrection. How does seeing a story acted out help you feel it?
- The Bible's very last prayer is 'come, Lord Jesus.' Why do you think the scriptures end with an invitation?
- What do you do in December to make room for the Savior — so your heart isn't like the inn with no room?
Teaching Resources
Categories
Attribution
Music by: David A. Zabriskie, 2000 | COME, LORD JESUS
Text by: From the Church production Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection, 2000; alt.
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints