He was happy to share, and coaxed others to do likewise. But, most of what else might be said about Ward L. Ellis is pretty much up for grabs. Where was he from? He liked to have a little fun, as he indicates in a short description of a Christmas singing engagement at which he agreed to perform; so, we might say that Ward liked to laugh (perhaps not unlike these guys shown in the 16th Century artistic masterpiece by Hans von Aachen, Two Laughing Men). And, he had at least one album with 13 songs. If you happen to know more about Ward, please share. He sounds, including in the song “Let the Redeemed”, like a guy who was joyful, and is/was somebody good to know. Though there’s not much more currently known about him, Ward’s one evident character trait – joy – is one that could make him stand out in a crowd. It’s an attitude that would have incalculable value if its infectious potential were maximized.
Ward L. Ellis has at least 13 songs to his credit, including most that are one album. It’s called Good Time Praisin’, and includes the 1978 song ‘Let the Redeemed’. The album is apparently from 2009, however, so we can presume that Ward was still active/alive as recently as 12 years ago. One other song that he wrote, “Barefoot in the Sand”, was a bit of mirth that he concocted for a Christmas engagement in a friend’s home, by his own admission a parody of a well-known Christmas tune. His words in ‘Let the Redeemed’ suggest a similar mindset of merriment, of unbridled happiness. And, it’s not based on some vague sense of well-being and contentment. Ward’s source of joy is the state he wanted others like himself to acknowledge: salvation, from the hand of a gracious Creator. It might sound repetitive to the cynic, but Ward invites the ‘redeemed’ to remind each other that that’s who they are. We aren’t just human waste, we’re saved! Celebrate that the ‘enemy’s hand’ has not kept us captive, that we no longer are ‘wandering’, but that we are ‘free’ (v.1). While verse one tells of the deliverance, Ward’s second verse is where the merrymaking really begins. ‘Give thanks’, ‘sing’, and ‘praise’ all inhabit the heart of the celebrant who has ‘the Lord’, ‘His love’, ‘His grace’, and ‘His name’ in which to dwell. There is where no minor keynotes sound, where no grain of doubt or regret sit beside us to restrain the thrill of this new home. It’s no longer a dream that I have to gaze upon with hope, for it has become reality. Each moment is one in which I can radiate the never-ending smile of a liberated life that He’s made secure. What made Ward marvel at this circumstance, to direct my attention toward celebration of my redemption? Had he come from a dark place himself, still remembering how it felt to be lost? Or, was it just Ward’s personality to be upbeat, to focus on the positive? We’ll have to find our answers later.
We all know about the word infectious, in this past year. Medically, it’s not been a good thing, in this COVID year, has it? Distance and protection – those two words have been guides for staying healthy. Ward Ellis and the rest of us have never been through a pandemic before, and none of us want to endure another one. But, I long for infection, like the one Ward persuades me to risk. Shout and give a bear-hug to someone, he’d say, and tell the dazed expression of that person that he too can have what I’ve been given. Laughter is best when it breeds the same in a whole roomful of once-stricken souls. How would it be if a whole country, or a whole planet could be enticed to join in this party? None will want to miss this, once it starts.
Hear the entire song here, including the two verses that go with the oft-heard chorus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liBL5C6kFMs
Read some of the author’s own words about an episode in which he wanted to have a little musical fun with some friends: https://towerrecords.com/products/ward-l-ellis-barefoot-in-the-sand
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