On That Note
of Theology. While he was a 31-year-old graduate student, one of his friends asked him to write a song for a coming ordination. After two days of concentrated effort, focused on Jeremiah and other prophets’ responses to God’s call, the phrase “Here I Am, Lord” emerged. There are several scriptural images and stories in the COMMUNITY OF CHRIST SINGS 640 hymn. Among them is Isaiah’s visit into the Temple, where he readily responds to God, “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:1-8). We also hear echoes of the boy Samuel who responds to God’s call by saying, “Here I am” several times over the course of a night (1 Samuel 3). Michael Hawn of the Perkins School of Theology notes the song is unusually constructed. The stanzas speak in This hymn is beloved by all generations God’s voice, first person singular, but the refrain changes for its missional call-and-response. to the first-person response of the singer, moving from By Jane M. Gardner, presiding evangelist “I, the Lord” to “Here I am, Lord.” Each stanza also highlights a paradox. God is a powerful creator of “sea and sky,” “snow and rain,” and “wind and flame” and, at the same time, God hears the “people cry,” bears the “people’s n 2008, the exciting, yet daunting task of developing a pain,” and “tend[s] the poor and lame.” new hymnal for the church began. Some of the key data Hawn also highlights a theme of transformation points we wanted to capture through a survey were the that surfaces throughout the text. In stanza one, songs that people would recommend moving on to the next God transforms the darkness into light, in stanza two generation. This was an intentionally different approach God melts “hearts of stone” with love, and in stanza from asking people to tell us their favorite hymns. three God nourishes the “poor and lame” with the “finest The survey listed the songs from Hymns of the Saints, bread,” a reference to the Lord’s Supper (Communion). Sing for Peace, Sing a New Song, and By Request. As a team In an interview with America: The we tried to predict the top choice. Would This ongoing Herald series will Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture, Schutte it be “The Spirit of God like a Fire Is explore the history and context revealed that the original wording of Burning,” “There’s an Old, Old Path,” of hymns from Community of the refrain began, “Here I am, Lord; or “Redeemer of Israel”? Christ Sings. Sung in pews or here I stand, Lord.” After considering All our guesses were wrong. “I, the through Zoom connections, these the human tendency to self-doubt, he Lord of Sea and Sky” received the most words and melodies connect us to changed the wording to “Here I am, votes. In retrospect, we shouldn’t have one another and to our identity. Lord; is it I, Lord?” been surprised. The hymn consistently Is there a hymn you would like Forty years after it was written, we ranks at the top of online surveys of to know more about? Let us know continue to sing “I, the Lord of Sea and favorite Christian songs. at Herald @CofChrist.org. Sky” with heartfelt commitment and The song premiered in 1979 as “Here gratitude for a God who cares for us, invites us, and sends I Am, Lord” and was published for the first time in 1981. us into the world. It became widely available to Community of Christ in Sing a New Song, published in 1999. Since then, we have joined Christians around the world who have found this Jane Gardner has served in various roles within church song challenging, comforting, and emotionally satisfying. leadership, most recently as presiding evangelist. Her ministry Many of us can sing it from memory, especially the refrain, includes an emphasis in worship, music, art, Temple ministries, signaling that it has found a place in our hearts. and the sacraments. Jane served as team leader for the Daniel L. Schutte, the song’s author and composer, Hymnal Steering Team from 2008 to 2013, culminating holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School in the production of Community of Christ Sings.
‘I, the Lord of Sea and Sky’ I
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photo by Sarah Le | Unsplash
