THE HIGH-ER SCHOOL

Yes, that's me, middle, front row, "first chair"--plus 
cover of our 1965 high shcool annual

A monthly post on a hymn of the faith.

By now, the yearly hoopla of high school graduation has cooled down. Annuals have been signed with promises like “Friends forever” or “Remember me when you're rich and famous.” Hard to realize that my graduation year, 1965, was so long ago, almost the Dinosaur Age. I mean, girls wore skirts or dresses that modestly reached their knees, not today's torn and tattered jeans. We had nylons with regular shoes, not flip-flops or high-top white tennies. Blouses covered upper quarters modestly--no crop-tops and low-rise pants that showed off belly buttons. Oh yes (sigh), many had the “ratted” pouf hairdos. Girls “renewing” their “dos” at lunchtime meant that hair spray fogged the girl's restrooms. Personal cell phones? Nope. If your parents were enough “well off,” you might have your own bedroom phone (for girls, the “hot one” was the “princess style”) so you wouldn't have to stretch out the curly cord of the family's wall phone to a more private spot, like the coat closet.

Yes, back then we had cliques (or should we call them “interest-based affinity groups”?).  I guess I belonged in the “kids-who-study-and-don't-make-waves” category. My great goal and achievement was becoming orchestra concert-mistress (first chair violin—yes, that's me in photo). Except for B's in physical education (14 years later I would marry an elementary p.e. teacher—go figure) I earned all A's.

But, despite going to church with my family and completing the two years of Saturday classes to be “confirmed” in my family's traditional church, I had a lot to learn about walking with Christ. Thus, when I learned the background about a well-known hymn, I was moved by the story of its devout author: a teenager!

The hymn is known by is first words: “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” The first line continues, “I know thou art mine. For thee, all the follies of sin I resign.” Officially dated 1864, it's credited to a young person named William Ralph Featherston, who attended a Methodist church in his hometown of Montreal, Canada. Some historians say he was 12 years old when he wrote the lyrics, others say he was 16. Others suggest the first few lines have some similarities to camp-meeting songs of the early 1800s. It might have stayed a young person's poem if he hadn't sent a copy of it to his aunt in Los Angeles. She was so moved that she sought to have it published.

But a poem isn't a hymn until there's music, and that came through someone named Adoniram Gordon. His first name may ring a bell as the same as missionary Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), who served in Burma for nearly forty years. Adoniram Gordon was known for founding Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. (By the way, Adoniram is a Hebrew name that means “my Lord is exalted.”)

Featherston never lived to see the widespread use of his poem-turned-hymn. He died at age 27, reportedly leaving behind a wife and young son. It would be his only published piece. He would be amazed to learn of how it still inspires worshipers, and perhaps humbled that the background story of a faith-filled teenager would continue to be told more than a century and a half later.

Sing along with this You-Tube video:

MyJesus I Love Thee - Classic Hymn (Lyrics) - Bing video

Because search engines offer sequential performances of the same piece, consider continuing to listen to how these simple but reverent words still reflect a believer's aspiration to know Jesus better.