By Rev. Dr. Martin Koeller, BLDM Pastoral Advisor
When our oldest son, Peter, was 2 years old, we would sometimes find him outside on the swing set at the crack of dawn singing, “Jesus loves me . . . I know” to the tune, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know” at the top of his lungs. What a pleasure it was to listen to him, as well as to know that he found great joy in knowing that Jesus loves him. What a joy it is for us to know Jesus and His love for us, too! Are we singing it at the top of our lungs? It doesn’t matter what tune we use.
In our church at Cedar Hill, Missouri, we can sing it in Bluegrass, traditional, or contemporary every Sunday, and they all sound equally beautiful. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This is a message we probably all know by heart from little on and it’s a message that God wants us to share. “For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in 18 Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39b) “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…” (1 John 3:16a) “Jesus loves me…I know!” It can be sung by young and old alike and can be sung by new Christians as well as seasoned Christians. It can be sung by people of all abilities in their hearts.
This is what we strive for with Bethesda Lutheran Disability Ministries (Bethesda LDM), to help make this simple thought available to everyone. There’s another tune that Peter would sing: “I can tie my shoe!” He was so happy over his ability to do so that he wanted the world to know. That song was also sung at the top of his lungs on the swing set. His joy over what he could do meant a lot to him. What joy we find in the things we can do.
We can share our love for God. We can share God’s love for all. We can share our love for each other. “…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)
As we move forward with Bethesda LDM, may God give us His guidance and His blessing to let people of all abilities know God’s love. May God lead us to help them to discover what they can do to be part of God’s mission so we can ALL raise our voices together in praising our risen Christ!
My favorite old hymn says it so well: “I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know it’s true; it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.” (Author: Kate Hankey, 1866) So let’s all sing together at the top of our lungs, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”
