Graham Kendrick was thinking
about what it would be like to see something spread in 1987. Not just for a few
yards or even a few miles. Not just temporarily, either. “Shine, Jesus, Shine”
was his dream for his homeland in the British Isles. It ended up perhaps travelling
more broadly than he expected, and it’s still being sung, so who knows how long
it will endure. Its development wasn’t just a one-stop effort either, coming in
fact over a months-long period. What’s that say about Him and me, and about how
His purposes might be accomplished?
Graham Kendrick was born and
lives in Britain’s Croydon, in South London, and has much more on his resume
about evangelism than one song. The movement known as March for Jesus began in
1987, coinciding with the origin of “Shine, Jesus, Shine”. So, if one really
wants to know about the song, look into this march. It began in just one place
in the United Kingdom – London -- through the collaboration of three church groups.
It was a modest beginning, with the first one called City March. If Kendrick’s
song was written then, that should tell us that his vision for the march was
rather confined, at least until maybe the song spoke of something more. The song really is a prayer, asking the God-Son
to do something only He can do. Kendrick says the three original verses were
written first, with the chorus coming several months later. Look into the
verses, versus the chorus, and something sticks out that suggests Kendrick’s
vision, though limited at first, must have grown over that several month span.
From a ‘City March’-type beginning, the song’s chorus mushrooms the evangelism into
‘nations’ where the message and person of Jesus could travel. By 1994, the
march to spread Jesus’ name had gone into 170 nations, across all time zones,
to millions of people. And, the song is widely used in hymnals throughout the
world.
Shine, Jesus. He listens when
someone asks Him to do that, but perhaps not the way we might expect. Graham
Kendrick’s experience writing the song and organizing the March for Jesus tells
a story. His light may be like the light He places in the sky. At dawn, I can
look at it easily, without shades. It doesn’t seem like very much, and there
may even still be shadows and dimness…turn on those headlights. But it grows,
gradually, inexorably, so that its brilliant presence cannot be avoided. It might
even burn you. Or, it can bring blessed warmth on a chilled day. That’s like
Him. He will shine, if I ask Him to, just not all at once. Keep asking, and
watch what He does!
Information on the song was
obtained from“The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns
and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006. Also see the story in the book “I Could Sing of
Your Love Forever”, by Lindsay Terry, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2008.
See the following sites for information
on the composer:
Also see the following, for background on the movement that
perhaps inspired the song, or vice versa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Jesus
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