Saturday, February 1, 2014

Redeemed -- James Rowe



He must have written many times about his conversion and how he felt, and yet he gushed some more about this when he was 51 years old. James Rowe’s feelings maybe never grew old with him, including in 1916 as he thought about being “Redeemed” (otherwise known as “I’m Redeemed” or “Sweet is the Song”). Never getting tired of one’s rescue – perhaps that was why this Irishman kept writing over his lifetime. It may have been a microcosm of his experience up until that point, and even beyond it, that motivated him to put pen to paper and record the song. What matters most after 51 years? Consider Rowe’s answer.


James Rowe had come from a far distance and been in and out of several vocations when his words about liberation in 1916 came to him. Perhaps it was the experience of one or more of those episodes that helped his mind and spirit form the words to describe how he felt. Was it working for the Irish government, and then later leaving that job and his homeland that helped him appreciate his redemption? What about working on the railroads and then later as an inspector up and down the Hudson River in New York state? He started writing at some point, probably for the same reasons many people do, and kept at it. The work he was in at first, and then on a second try, and even a third time must have been incidents that were less than fulfilling. Writing oftentimes starts as a hobby, a way to find some spark that motivates and renews you. After three different occupations, maybe it was his “hobby” that he decided should in fact be his life’s calling. His beliefs were strong, and what better way to express them than in poetry put to music? He must have felt very certain by the half-century mark that what he’d chosen was the right path. ‘Sweet is the song’ he said, and he couldn’t get over what the gift of redemption meant, what having a certain future – a heavenly one – ensured for this guy who had adjusted his earthly course several times in the previous three decades. No matter what had been, and what was still to come, Rowe exulted. In all of his verses, his spirit surged over what he knew was true, dwelling on some immutable certainties. Being saved, and having Christ in his present and future were not debatable issues for Rowe in 1916.


As he wrote hundreds of songs (up to 2,600) for music publishers in Texas and Tennessee, James Rowe had the advantage of thinking over and over about his spirit’s destiny. His life hadn’t been without mistakes, like any mortal. Was his memory bothered by shortcomings? Sure. There were probably things that distressed him to a degree. By the time his hair was turning gray (if he was like other 51-year olds) he must have concluded that some rotten things would never go away, but that that was OK. Focus on what’s to come, and what transports you there. Tell others how this confidence feels. That’s when you’ll be mouthing Jim Rowe’s words.      


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