'Here Iam, Lord. Is it I, Lord?'
A line from the refrain for one of my least favourite hymns (or songs, if you insist). There are quite a few contenders for that title. It ends with the words 'I am here, Lord, if you need me. I will hold your people in my heart.' Can anyone explain to this poor sinner exactly what those words are supposed to mean? (If, indeed, they have any meaning.)
Comments
While not a fan of the song, it has always made sense to me. “I will go and love your (all) people, in actions such as the rest of the song talks about.”
I, the Lord of sea and sky...
But yes, I'm not sure what the rest of it means, either!
(Good tune, though).
I think the first sentence you quoted is intended to resonate with either the call of Samuel or Is 6:8. In both those originals, though, it was God who took the initiative not the person singing. Also neither has the condition the hymn has, i.e. 'I'll go but only if you need me'. I've no idea what the second sentence means. I assume the writer did, bit do slightly wonder. It sounds like religious rhetoric.
The composer is still alive and has a website. You could, perhaps, try asking him.
It's also "If you LEAD me"
In general you have the verses which are written as if from God's perspective (calling on assorted references) but ending with the bit from Isaiah. And the chorus is as if from your perspective (assuming your response isn't sod that I'm going to Spain).
Wiki says it was written for (Catholic Deacon's) Ordination.
“No, not me Lord,
Please don’t ask me.
I am hiding underneath the bed.
Go away Lord,
I don’t want to.
Please find someone else instead”
Rather more honest, one feels...
Mind you, if the original was written for the Ordination of Deacons, it makes more sense.
Based on Jonah, I presume.
Full disclosure: I wrote hymns for the baptisms of both of our children, and both hymns similarly put words in the mouth of God—one uses Isaiah’s “I have called you by name, you are mine,” and one uses “this is my beloved” from the baptism of Jesus. So clearly I’m not too bothered by a hymn putting having God speak if what God says is drawn from Scripture.
Actually, it’s “I will go, Lord, if you lead me”—as @jay_emm, with whom I cross-posted, noted. Seems to me an entirely appropriate condition, if it can be called that.
I’ll admit I don’t have the intense dislike of “Here I Am, Lord” that so many seem to. It’s not my favorite by any means, but I don’t mind it. (Though perhaps for perspective I should acknowledge that I’ve frequently noted my dislike of “Amazing Grace” on the Ship, so . . . .). In my experience, it is most likely to be sung at confirmations or ordinations.
O Jesus I have promised...
Take my life and let it be...
to quote more traditional ones,
This particular one is a mixed bag for me: I like the tune, I find the structure of the words a bit clunky but I have a deep and abiding memory of it being sung at one of our link parishes when we visited them prior to leaving for Kenya as mission partners. Their priest explained that all of us were doing our bit as regards to responding to the call of God, us in going and them in praying and supporting.
I know, I know- all very sentimental but actually it was quite moving and authentic too at the time!
Isaiah: Ch 6 v 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!”
My quibble with the hymn is that Isaiah does not make a qualified response, "if". Biblically, the answer to the diffidence of the hymn writer is: "It jolly well is you!" and that it would better read:
"It is I, Lord........
I will go, Lord, where you lead me."
He has, after all, had a vision of God, and his lips (gift of speech) anointed with a live coal from the altar.
The author is our fellow shippie, Gill H. Her original version was
Its just another of those "get up off your arses and DO something" hymns that are generally ignored by those whose Christianity is confined to a comfortable hour on a Sunday.
We didn't use that in the Congregationalists so I don't know where it comes from, with what authority.
When I tackled Father F**kwit about the bloodthirsty passages in the OT, and asked him why we read them in the course of (in this case) Morning Prayer, he said *God was getting the world ready for Jesus...*
If you don't read such passages it is like pretending that they aren't there. Surely congregations should be aware of them and preachers should address them, even if they say "this is terrible and ought to be excised"? (Although that is a problematic approach since if you excised all unpleasant passages there might not be all that much Scripture left).
O yes, I agree. It was Father F's silly answer that made me cross, not the fact that the compilers of the lectionary had seen fit to include such bits!
I did conclude the passage by saying *Here ends the first reading*, rather than the usual *This is the Word of the Lord*...
Noting that most people don't hear God calling them any time, not just at night. We have to make our own decisions.
IYSWIM.
If there's any calling in the night to be done, it's usually me swearing at God for making me get up yet again to go to the loo...
That's how I see it. I try to hold God's people 'in my heart' even when I wish the one or two of the more problematic of them would fuck off. I think it's part of my calling as a Christian (and secondarily as a Christian leader) to keep bringing God's children in prayer before him. Because I'm an idiot I keep thinking it would be a great idea if most Christians took seriously the idea of praying in a heartfelt way about their fellow human beings/Christians. Is that a bad thing?
It reminds me of the Sco..ish teacher getting a boy to speak 'correctly.
'Don't say bu..er. It's bu tt er.' she said.
Boy 'bu tt er
Teacher , that's be..er
Curses! I was hoping no-one would spot that...
I was just idly wondering, really, whether *It is I* might perhaps be better grammar - I don't say that it is...
BTW, should the whole line read *Here am I, Lord. Is it I, Lord?*
That seems to scan be..er, but YMMV.
Authorised: "Then said I, Here am I; send me."
NIV: “And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Ah-ha!
I, and the Bible, are both correct!
As such, the basic theme is fairly straightforward - God's got a lot of things to be done in this world to care for the poor and suffering, so are you willing to be "God's hands"?
For me, the hymn is/can be a healthy reminder that it's important to back up our grand statements of faith with actual deeds. In other words, 1 John 3:18:
"Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."
That’s what I was always taught. A lot of people often say ‘me’, though.
No doubt someone will be along soon to tell me in no uncertain terms that language changes and there is no such thing as correct.
MMM
Yes, fair comment, especially your second paragraph.
When we sing it on Sea Sunday, we usually have a number of Scouts/Cubs/Beavers in the congregation, and AFAIK it's a song which at least some of them will have sung in school.
'It is I' is correct but as one says in German it is 'peinlich genau'( transl. embarrassingly accurate.)
Incidentally German doesn't say 'it is I' ,one says 'I am it' (ich bin es)
I will follow Lord, on the assumption you will lead me.
It strikes me a bit like Frodo at the Council of Elrond—“I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way.” You can send me, but I’m going to need you to lead me.
Other than Veni Spiritus Sancti of course, which should be sung at every ordination:)
Firstly it is important to note that there are 2 'voices', a "God' voice for the verses (to be honest this is where I would have issues) and a 'Response' chorus/refrain.
The verses kind of resemble the various calling narratives in the bible, and the responses kind of echo the responses given to that call. But it is very generalised (which makes sense, "I have heard a sick child in 42 New Street, He's going to get care and attention, Katy get your bag" would have limited reuse).
Each verse opens with a identification "I the Lord of X & Y " referencing Creation, ??? (walking on the water) and Pentecost.
While the middle of the verses varies (it's kind of midway between the judges and prophets), the end hearkens back particularly to Isaiah, ending with "Who shall I send?".
At this point the voice changes and you get the response discussed above [which is to that question, and not "Someones a traitor."], which again starts with Isaiah's, but reflects other responses, and the fact that as a group song (and not a vision) sometimes for the current obvious situations it is not in fact the person referred to by the reflexive pronoun.
Lumpen, dull tune and moronic words.
You prefer The Shiny Song*, then?
I'll get me coat...
*Kendrick's Shine, Jesus, Shine...
We can only hope that the "flow river flow" doesn't extinguish the "blaze spirit blaze". But then again, perhaps not.
Er....well I guess now is a bad time to mention that the Church is the Bride of Christ in Revelation?
Surprise!
But since none of us knows what life will throw at us next, these are all, at best, forward-looking statements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward-looking_statement
Absolutely, as I said above despite all its shortcomings it has a powerful resonance for me
Another of my top 5 Worship Songs That Should Be Banned 😈