Here’s a good word for churches concerning contextualized songs for worship. Inspired by the recent CD from BiFrost Arts, Come O Spirit – we started off our services with their arrangement of the old hymn “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me”.
A pastor named Edward Hopper wrote this particular hymn in 1871. Apparently he ministered to a church that was located along the New York City harbor called The Church of Sea and Land. Though its name may suggest a museum more than a local body of Christians, apparently many sailors and sea captains made up the congregation there. Having a heart for his people, Hopper penned “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” using nautical language and sea-faring jargon.
Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will,
When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
’Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me,
“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”
Though I’m not a sailor, boating enthusiast, pirate or even a strong swimmer– the text is beautiful and one can’t help but picture oneself as a member of The Church of Land and Sea in that time period, hearing these familiar words in relation to the Savior. Thoughtful contextualized words like this can be extremely helpful wherever we find ourselves serving. Do our songs use language that our church can relate to? Does it help paint the story of God’s love more vividly in their minds? More importantly – does it speak truth about Christ in a way that is clear and easy to grasp?
In addition, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of BiFrost Arts’ “Come O Spirit” It’s a great collection of reworked hymns from a lot of Christian Indie favorites. Check out some sound samples myspace.com/bifrostarts
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on contextualization, Jamie. I do appreciate when the words we sing are relateable and not “puffed up”. I have to admit, a little part of me dies every time we have to sing “Here I raise my ebenezer…” (in “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”).
Funny story about “Come Thou Fount”, Jamie’s wife.
We have decided to omit that verse b/c we have found it confusing to our folks. We feel if we are going to sing that verse, then we need to teach on it so that people don’t think they are making reference to a Charles Dickens novel. That particular hymn has plenty of verse from its original inception that are just as good ( if not better ) and aren’t as confusing.
Jamie, I thought this was a very beautiful song. It’s a great example of the need for current songwriters to create works that are relevant for our time and communities. I imagine Hopper sitting there one day and thinking, “Man, we have a lot of sailors here. These folks need to be reminded of their dependence on Christ, and at the same time uplifted and assured that He is with them in their travels.” Boom! There’s your song.