It was a morn I never shall forget
As we sat there, we three, mending our nets
And musing as to what the catch would be
And if it would be enough to pay the tax
Which Caesar levied.
That day it seemed our very livelihood
Depended on it
And we must toil till dark to make it pay,
A grueling task to bring a share of gain.
And then he came!
I well remember, for to me he called.
"Come, follow me, for I would have you be
Fishers of men!"
And then his eyes sought mine.
And mine filled up with sudden tears;
Tears of repentance followed tears of joy
As I beheld the Christ.
The gentle warmth of love suffused my being;
Old founts, long sealed, gushed forth
With strange new life.
Old wounds were healed: sin, sorrow disappeared,
While all of substance seemed at once at hand
And in our very midst—Immanuel!
