Growing up as a second (or third or fourth etc.) generation Christian can be challenging, as many of us, at some point, struggle with regret over not having a dramatic conversion story or testimony. Then there’s that inevitable period when we have to wrestle with God ourselves and learn to see Him as our own God and not just our parents’ God.
However, it certainly also has its perks. One of them is Sunday school songs! Having sung these catchy tunes from the time we could barely talk, many of them are so ingrained into our minds that even though we don’t hear them for years, hearing just one line of any old Sunday school song brings back a flood of memories.
If you’re like me, many of these songs probably never really registered in your understanding as a child. Kinda like how we recite nursery rhymes now as grownups and are shocked by how morbid and gruesome a lot of them are, Sunday school songs have that same effect!
Except of course, the new discoveries are not the least bit scary. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. I knew all the words and I knew what these words meant but it never occurred to me until recently, however, how deep and theologically laced the lyrics to these Sunday school songs actually are—and it’s really amazing to think about!
Just yesterday, I was singing to myself while doing the dishes, “Ten and nine, eight and seven, six and five and four. Call upon the Savior while you may! Three and two, coming through the clouds in bright array, the countdown’s getting lower every day!” That’s when it hit me. I had been singing about Jesus’ second coming practically my entire life!
How cool is that? I began to think of the other Sunday school songs, reflecting on how those simple, uncomplicated words could hold so much meaning:
“My God is so big! So strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.”
“He’s got the whole world in His hands!”
“Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong!”
“Read the Bible, pray everyday, and you’ll grow, grow, grow!”
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love.”
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”
“I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery… but I’m in the Lord’s army.”
So often, we study the Bible, we talk about doctrine, we argue about different interpretations of Scripture, and we complicate things. Going back to these Sunday school songs helped me to remember that it’s really not as complex as we make it out to be.
Of course, this is not to say that Biblical exegesis and exposition are not important because they are. They are vital in enriching our relationship with God and in helping us to better understand and marvel at the Creator of the universe, but at the foundation of it all, the Gospel is simple.
“My God is so big! So strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” “He’s got the whole world in His hands!” —Our God created the world and everything in it. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He knows all, sees all, controls all things, and is sovereign.
“Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong!” “Read the Bible, pray everyday, and you’ll grow, grow, grow!” —God loves us. Jesus lay down His life of us. He has given us His Word to strengthen us and so that we can grow in our faith—grow closer to Him, and grow together as a community in Christ.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love.” “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” —Because of Christ’s great love for us, we have been called to love one another and to share the Good News with everyone around us.
“I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery… but I’m in the Lord’s army.” “Call upon the Savior while you may… the countdown’s getting lower every day!” —We are in a spiritual battle and Jesus is coming again very soon. We need to call on Jesus while we still have time so that we can be on God’s winning side!
That’s really all there is to it. That is the Gospel and Christian living summarized in a few simple songs that many of us have unfortunately dismissed over time as kiddy and no longer relevant.
Well, we couldn’t have been more wrong! And I find myself thanking God for the profound truths that were given to us as children. Truths that very likely had much to do with shaping our belief in God, even when we were unaware of it. Truths that are foundational to the Christian faith, are never changing, and ever life-changing!
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Esperanza Ng
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