Lyrics
1 WELCOME, sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving breast,
And these rejoicing eyes!
2 The King himself comes near,
And feasts his saints to-day;
Here we may sit, and see him here,
And love, and praise, and pray.
3 One day amidst the place
Where thou, my Lord, hast been
Is sweeter than ten thousand days
Of pleasurable sin.
4 My willing soul would stay
In such a frame as this,
And sit and sing herself away
To everlasting bliss.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Welcome, Sweet Day Of Rest treats the Christian day of worship as a joyful remembrance of the risen Lord. The opening stanza joins rest with resurrection, presenting the day as welcome refreshment for both inward life and outward sight. Christ is then pictured as a King drawing near to feast with his saints, while the gathered response combines love, praise, and prayer. Worship is therefore portrayed as communion with Christ rather than mere relief from labor.
The third stanza closely reflects the psalmist who values one day in the courts of God above a thousand elsewhere. Its contrast with pleasurable sin sharpens the hymn’s preference for holy fellowship. The final stanza extends that longing toward everlasting bliss, as the soul desires to remain in a posture of song. Across four compact verses, the hymn links resurrection, congregational worship, spiritual rest, and hope of eternity in language marked by reverence and gladness.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 84:10 The third stanza closely echoes the preference for one day in Gods courts over a thousand elsewhere.
- John 20:1 The opening connects the day of rest with the day on which the Lord arose.
- Hebrews 10:24-25 Its scene of saints gathering to praise and pray reflects Christian assembly and encouragement.