Take Up Your Cross the Savior Said
Take up your cross, the Savior said
The hymn articulates the Lutheran understanding of Christian discipleship as a concrete response to Christ's redemptive work, emphasizing both grace received and the consequent ethical demand. It reflects Lutheran emphasis on vocation and daily cross-bearing as integral to the Christian life.
History & Background
Written by Charles William Everest in 1859, this American hymn directly addresses Christ's call to discipleship from Matthew 16:24. It was first published in Everest's hymnal and has become a standard Lenten and discipleship hymn in Lutheran hymnals.
Hymnal Appearances
- Baptist Hymnal — 609
- Chalice Hymnal — 470
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 667
- Glory to God — 718
- The Hymnal 1982 — 675
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 398
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 302
- Lutheran Worship — 382
- New Century Hymnal — 204
- Trinity Hymnal — 609
- United Methodist Hymnal — 415
- Voices Together — 601
Bulletin Note
Charles William Everest (1859) composed this meditation on Matthew 16:24 in Common Meter. Its steady, grave tune GERMANY anchors the text's call to discipleship rooted in the concrete realities of Christian vocation and daily cross-bearing.
Preaching Connection
This hymn develops the paradox of Lutheran Law and Gospel: the Law's demand to deny self and bear the cross finds its true fulfillment and power in the Gospel promise that Christ walks with us and grants eternal life to those who lose their lives for his sake.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law recognizes human unworthiness before the cross; Gospel proclaims Christ's redemptive sacrifice, mysterious condescension, and transformative love calling for perpetual thanksgiving
Themes
Discipleship and cross-bearing Self-denial Following Christ Suffering with Christ Christian witness