Written by Oswald Allen (1816–1878), a banker who suffered throughout his life from a diseased spine, this hymn emerged from the severe English winter of 1859–60 and was published in his 1862 collection Hymns of the Christian Life. Allen originally titled it simply “To-day” and prefaced it with Hebrews 3:7—“To-day, if ye will hear His voice”— quoting Psalm 95’s warning against the stubborn rebellion of Israel in the wilderness. His personal sufferings made him unusually attentive to the poor, and the hymn’s urgency reflects a man who knew that the banquet invitation cannot be postponed indefinitely. The original poem was entirely first-person singular (“calls me”); later editors converted it to the plural “calls us” for congregational use. It is today appointed as the Hymn of the Day for Proper 6 in Year C of the three- year lectionary.
Sung at Our Saviour
2026