say what you will about the Gaithers.... :) But
I came across this old Gaither video on YouTube and it brought a memory from the past to me.....thought I would share. I was ..hmmm...16 maybe...freshly saved and ready to change the world for God. I somehow coerced my brother and sister to sing this song in our 'church' accompanied by the dear organist and choir director, who ventured far off the traditional and high brow path of religion to allow us to do just that. I don't think my sibs knew the intensity of what this song meant to me and yet I kind of felt everybody had the same kind of 'religion' inside of them that I did ..... I was naive and wrong....but I think about that time and know that God orchestrated that time in my life. My 'church' never spoke of salvation, not in any way that I understood. I had to go outside the church to find Jesus. Interesting eh? This song resonates in my heart a time of innocence and new life....that God used to bring me to this moment .... right now....today, where I see Him more clearly and yet still as my Life, made new in Him.
For Those Tears I Died
You said You'd come and share all my sorrows
You said You'd be there for all my tomorrows
I came so close to sending You away
But just like You promised You came there to stay
I just had to pray
And Jesus said "Come to the water
Stand by my side
I know you are thirsty
You won't be denied
I felt every teardrop
When in darkness you cried
And I strove to remind you
That for those tears I died."
Your goodness so great I can't understand
And dear Lord I know that all this was planned
I know You're here now and always will be
Your love loosened my chains and in You I'm free
But Jesus why me?
Jesus I give You my heart and my soul
I know that without God I'd never be whole
Saviour You opened all the right doors
And I thank You and praise You from earth's humble shores
Take me, I'm Yours
4 comments:
The song was written by Marsha Stevens & recorded by her and her then husband, her sister and a friend - the group was called "Children of the Day" [I probably still have the record in a box]. Children of the Day were one of the first Christian folk-rock bands back in the 60's. At one point she was called the Mother of Christian Rock [Larry is the Father]. But when her marriage broke up she became a lesbian and has basically been cut-off by the christian recording industry. At one point, they tried to arrange a Children of the Day reunion tour without her... sort of like Peter, Paul & Mary, without Mary.
For me, the issue is not so much around her lesbianism, but around how christians have treated her. A quick search via google brings up too much garbage & condemnation on the part of people who call themselves christians... including articles about churches who regularily rip the song out of hymn books.
I'm keeping it my old hymn book, along with the Larry songs [which have also been ripped out]
Arrrgh!
Wow,
Well, I didn't know I was opening up such a can of worms....It changes nothing for me...people's past, present or future actions will never extinguish the Grace that lives in that place inside me and flows to others as I stay out of the way. My junk, good or bad is not accessible on the web but it doesn't make it any less there. How sad that it tends to be the Christians that are the least in general to extend forgiveness and nonjudgement despite what was given to them. Freely receive and freely give.
Thanks for the background on the song. I know it was mid-70's when I first heard this song. Impacted me then and today.
Amazing that these 'hymns' continue to bless after what - 45 plus years....true hymns seem to do that...stand up throughout the years despite what the 'church' tries to do in their narrowmindedness.
In Him,
you are right on... God's loves and grace covers a multitude of sins [or to put it a little more crassly... a pile of dung(to use Paul's word)!]
It's a wonderful song... we used it at my father-in-laws funeral 14 years ago.
I remember that time in my own early walk when I just didn't get it when others didn't see things the same way I did. ;) I thought all people must've had the same experience that I had. And indeed, as naive and wrong as I was, it was a part of the process that brought me to today.
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