Hymn Of The Week: May 4, 2020

Here I am, Lord

Dear Friends,

Several years ago we conducted a hymn poll of what our congregation’s favorite hymns are. Here I am, Lord, written in 1981 by the Jesuit priest, Dan Schutte (b. 1947) topped our list at Number 1. This hymn has been embraced and is in hymnals of all denominations and well-loved by everyone around the world. The refrain captures our imagination immediately with its immediate ability to join in and sing. Unknown to many folks this hymn represents the Second Vatican renewal music resulting from the Second Vatican Council.

The lyrics come from the scripture Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, “Here am I; send me! What is fascinating about the text is that the verses are in first person singular from the point of view of God and the chorus switches to our perspective.

A great story about this hymn is that Dan Schutte was asked on a Wednesday to compose something for a conference that was taking place on that Saturday. He put this hymn together and was polishing it on Friday afternoon when he handed it over to the members of the conference, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Each stanza reflects a paradox. The powerful God, creator of “sea and sky,” “snow and rain” and “wind and flame” is also the God who hears the “people cry,” bears the “people’s pain” and “tend[s] the poor and lame.” This is a hymn of transformation. God transforms the darkness into light in stanza one, melts “hearts of stone” with love in stanza two and nourishes the “poor and lame” with the “finest bread”—a clear Eucharistic reference. Each stanza ends with the question, “Whom shall I send?” Rhetorical questions are very common poetical devices in Christian hymnody, but this is not one of them. The refrain immediately offers the response, “Here I am, Lord.”

Enjoy Linda Habig’s beautiful flute interpretation of Joel Raney’s arrangement of this now classic and much loved hymn.

Stay Healthy!
Philip