Monday, June 19, 2017

Singing through the Hymnal: week 25




Verse: Jeremiah 31:3
Hymn: Jesus Loves Me


           We are going to sing about the LOVE of Jesus next. Jesus Loves Me is a favorite hymn of children across the world. This is probably the first hymn most children learn. These are some of the first truths we need to hear in this world. This would be an excellent one to learn all the stanza of if you don't already know them. This song is a perfect example of wonderful truths being instilled into the hearts and lives of children. The hymnal we are using as has 2 Christmas stanzas to learn.

         This hymn is bookended by a very important truth: "the Bible tells me so." This is a declaration that we need to teach our children. We all are faced with opposition to God's Word in our lives, but we need to teach our children that the Bible is eternally true and good and powerful Word of God. It is our very life. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever. We believe the truths of this song, because it is what the Bible tells us. If someone were to ask your child how they know God loves them - they should be able to quickly say, "the Bible tells me so."
       
     



Extra hymn for the week - since this one is so familiar: O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus. There are many tune to this one. I linked to the tune in our hymnal. There are rich words in this hymn. Please sing it with your children this week too!

                                                                  Fun Facts

Text: Anna B. Warner (1820-1915)
  • As as young girl, she wrote poetry and stories to assist her family during a difficult time
  • One of these stories was called "Say and Seal." In the story, a dying little boy was sung to by his Sunday school teacher - the song the teacher sang was "Jesus Love Me."
  • Anna lived near West Point Military Academy and taught Bible classes to the Army cadets
  • She was so well-loved by the officers she taught that when she died, she was granted a full military funeral and buried there at West Point.
  • The Christmas stanzas were written by Ken Bible
Tune: William B. Bradbury (1816-1868)
  • two years after Anna wrote these words, Bradbury discovered them and wrote this tune.
  • He added the chorus

Remember to order you copy of the hymnal we are singing through if you still need a hymnal!



    Things to think about ...
    • since your children probably already know this hymn, it would be a good one to talk more about - who wrote it, what the words mean, etc.
    • Anna was young when she wrote these precious words - encourage your children to write out truths they know about God and work on coming up with a melody to sing. 
    • It is also important to remind your children that God is not partial to gender or age. He uses all people for His glory. Encourage your children with this truth. In this day and age, it is particularly important that we teach our children that we are all made in the image of God and that God looks not on the outward appearance, but on the heart.

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