Let Him In (There’s a Stranger at the Door) – Jonathan B. Atchinson

This author was 41 years old – seemingly in mid-life. Could Jonathan Burtch Atchinson have even imagined that his own mortal finish line was so near when he counseled himself and others to “Let Him In” (otherwise known as “There’s a Stranger at the Door”) in 1881? His own demise would leave him in a grave in the following year in New York’s Niagara area (see map here). His well-considered advice could not have been too foreign, since he’d become a minister several years earlier, and had probably warned others with similar words for some time. Were these words the occasion of a sermon that he delivered, or a class he taught? We can guess that his words were meant to enter the hearts of those who’d been resisting the nudge to make some spiritually decisive choices. Ever been there? Does He ever pound on that door, or is it more often a persistent tap? Which sound was Jonathan urging his hearers to tune in?

There are many questions about Jonathan Atchinson, with just a few answers forthcoming. He was a native of New York state, and evidently served in ministry there and in Michigan. His passion reportedly was Sunday schools, so one could imagine that whatever he wrote might have been intended to further the education of Christians, young and old. As an ordained Methodist minister, perhaps his words found their way to the pulpit, too. Did any of his Civil War memories as a soldier (in the Union forces, one would assume, since he was from New York) impact his outlook? There’s an old adage that says there are no atheists in battlefield foxholes, so it would not be hard to imagine that Jonathan himself had endured or had seen others confront life-or-death episodes during that conflict by making a pact with the Creator-Savior. Perhaps one or more of his war recollections helped stir ‘Let Him In’.  But, war is a brutal method to push the reluctant toward God – more like what a hammer does to a nail. Atchinson’s poetry is much more gentle – a door knock (v.1), a loving voice (v.3) – that indicate he realized God’s not an overbearing dictator. Instead, He asks to enter. Was that also part of Jonathan’s character, to encourage and sway, with an arm around the shoulders, rather than a rope around the waist yanking someone to a cliff’s edge? Was Jonathan perhaps reading what Jesus said about a stranger’s true identity (Matthew 25), and reinforced by the Hebrews writer (13:2)? What does the stranger at the door do, once He’s allowed to enter? It’s all positive, as Jonathan’s persuasive words indicate – friendship, protection, caretaking (v.2); joy (v.3); a feast, clemency, and an awesome home (v.4). In Jonathan’s equation, the stranger (v.1) eventually becomes the heavenly guest (v.4).

How does a houseguest remain welcome, while another might become a burden? You know the latter, perhaps. He’s the one that spills something on the sofa, or says something contrary – maybe even about your football team! He’s there, but not because you really like him. He’s like the tax you gotta pay. On the other hand, what’s the first houseguest like? He’s not pushy, yet lifting your spirit – you go places emotionally that otherwise are outta reach. In short, you want Him around so much because of the vigor, the transformation He brings. Maybe you’re not in a gutter, or perhaps a war like Jonathan endured, or in a homeless shelter. Nevertheless, your house still might seem a little empty. What’s missing? Maybe it’s a ‘who’ you need there.  

See all the song’s verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/e/t/lethimin.htm

See brief biography on the author here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/a/t/c/atchinson_jb.htm