Jesus Loves the Little Children -- Clare Herbert Woolston

He must have known the origin of the tune, but he wanted some words that children could sing in the church where he ministered. It was no longer wartime, after all, so Clare Herbert Woolston was in agreement with the tune’s writer (George Root) that the notes and rhythm first created for a Civil War song should evolve into something else, namely “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. Even so, Clare kept an echo of the war in the words he penned, perhaps to remind us that though we’re all children, our world does not respect the innocent and naïve. In fact, we all need a Divine Love – God – to care for us with the watchful eye of a parent on guard like a sentry. (Notice in the 19^th Century painting, shown here, by Carl Bloch, how Jesus protects the little ones.)  Woolston probably preached on more than one occasion that God will care for us until we arrive in a time and place where His rule has evicted danger and anxiety.    

Clare Herbert Woolston was a Baptist minister, in either the East Bunswick, New Jersey or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area when he was prompted by his composer-friend and collaborator George Root to write some words for the Civil War tune that had grown old in the latter part of the 1800s. Other details of what was on his mind and the precise year he put pen-to-paper for ‘Jesus Loves…’ are unknown, but Woolston’s purpose is clear. He was thinking of children, and in two of his three verses (only the well-known chorus is what people typically sing today, over 100 years later) he describes a God who welcomes, guides, and protects little ones; in his third verse, Clare the minister, who undoubtedly was speaking to parents and other adults, has the child courageously voicing a pledge to behave more like an adult. ‘Your soldier I will be’, ‘…Your cross…I’ll bear’, and ‘’..do and dare’ spring from the emboldened spirit of this youngster, making it seem as though the one speaking these brave words might have been a warrior. Was Clare thinking of someone, even a child, who needed a shot of courage therapy? These would be words of someone who felt the shield of Him about his torso, one who indeed considered God’s promise of safety as utterly dependable. ‘For you love the little children of the world…’ Woolston writes, a condition that this minister must have believed was foundational for a believer’s courage. The Civil War was over, probably beyond the memory of children to whom Woolston gave this song, yet did some of them witness other strife, even racism? ‘Red, and yellow, black, and white…precious…’ suggests Clare was articulating this issue, despite the outcome of the war, that he wanted Christians to help address at the time.  

When one believes He loves, what does that do for the one who’s loved? Pluck. Determination. Resolve. They’re all synonyms that might describe the result of embracing the love offer He makes to you and me.  It’s unfortunate that the verses Clare wrote are often ignored in favor of singing the chorus exclusively. Do I merely bask in His love, or does His care for me move me to do something, to express my gratitude and newfound purpose? Find verse 3 when you recall ‘Jesus Loves…’ in the future. Yes, he leads (v.1) and protects (v.2), and loves me unconditionally (chorus), and Clare concludes in verse 3 that those truths transform me into His tool -- strong, sacrificial, and obedient. Aren’t those qualities you want to see in your kids?    

See more information on the song story in these sources:

Then Sings My Soul – 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories, Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.

See the link here, for three original verses and the chorus and alternate chorus: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/j/e/s/l/jesloves.htm

Also see this site author information: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/o/o/l/woolston_ch.htm