Worship at my church Sunday, June 1st, was a special delight. Not only did we have the joy of a baptism, but I had the unique privilege of hearing the congregation sing my new baptismal song for the first time. Here’s the story behind the song.
Late last fall when I was home recuperating from prostate cancer surgery, I came across an ad in The Christian Century for a baptismal song contest. Orange United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was inviting writers to submit new baptismal texts and music as one part of its effort to emphasize baptism in their congregation. I had time on my hands, so, I thought, why not give it a try.
I don’t remember exactly how I began, only that I was soon working with a mix of things: thoughts from my book, various baptismal texts in Scripture, and hymns that drew my attention as I paged through our ELCA’s Evangelical Lutheran Worship. I found myself drawn to David Johnson’s spirited tune, Earth and All Stars (ELW 731), thinking it would make a great Easter baptismal hymn. Then I was thinking of death and resurrection in Ephesians 5 which has an early baptism hymn, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (verse 14).
Pondering and playing with these, I wrote and re-wrote the words that became “Water My Soul,” and one day before the end of 2007 I sent it off with prayer and proper postage to Orange UMC’s contest. The song didn’t win, but among 50-plus entries from 25 states and several countries, it was one of seven “honorable mentions” that Orange UMC included with the winner in their special contest booklet.
Here’s verse one (of three) with the refrain:
Water my soul: rouse me to new life.
Waking with Chri—st I arise.
Light on my way, joy in each new step.
Walking with Chri—st I begin.
Refrain:
This is the da—y I am born:
First of my days in God’s new world.
If you’d like the full text, click on my congregation’s website for my e-mail address on the staff page, and request a copy. It’s free for your use in worship! Just give me the copyright credit line as requested. If the song can bless your congregation’s baptismal ministry and worship, I would be delighted.
