‘I’m glad he was reading and remembering as he wrote, and that he was listening and going in the direction that the Spirit gave him’. That is what one might say if he heard what Randy Gill had to say when asked about the foundation for “At the Name of Jesus”. He didn’t just think of one piece of ancient writing when he penned the words (including this representation of Jesus’ name in Aramaic/Syrian, shown here), and that is essentially what makes Randy’s song so energetic and laudable. This 21st Century composer and professor has the educational wherewithal to write great music, and yet he knows it’s not really within himself to find that seminal spark for a memorable song. He proves it in the words he collected in ‘At the Name…’. He evidently discovered early on in his composing life the essential ingredients, the unique and indispensable elements that he accessed one day in 1998.
Here’s what Randy has to say in his own words about ‘At the Name of Jesus’, some 24 years after he wrote the song and it was published.
At the Name was the second worship song I ever tried to write. I’ve always loved the Jesus passages in Philippians 2 and decided to try my hand at setting verse 10. The song actually started as a very slow, contemplative piece but quickly evolved into the more upbeat, celebration statement it ended up being. … At The Name of Jesus was just an expression of devotion and praise.
Dr. Gill, with the skill of an academic researcher and the heart of a devoted follower, knows where to find great constituent parts for the foundation of something on which others can rely. You and I can revel in the words Randy used, because they come straight from trustworthy sources. Paul the Apostle, that fellow whom Jesus said He’d show ‘how much he must suffer for my name’ (Acts 9:16), was perhaps the most credible spokesman for Christ who ever lived. So, when he says what Randy repeats about ‘every knee bow(ing)’ and ‘every tongue confess (ing)’, (Philippians 2:10-11), every mortal dare not ignore that. This might actually have been a piece of an ancient hymn that Paul borrowed, so perhaps that helped Randy feel that its pedigree was enhanced even more. Later in ‘At the Name…’, Randy was employing the gifted insight of another when he calls out to the God-Man as the ‘Wonderful Counselor’, Mighty God’, Everlasting Father’, ‘the Prince of Peace’. Isaiah (9:6), who preceded Paul by some seven or eight centuries, is the poet-prophet that Randy and the rest of us have appreciated for so many years for giving us those collectively stirring names for Him. Finally, Randy cites another great 1st Century spokesmen – Peter -- when he writes ‘no other name by which we’re saved’, an unequivocal statement that Peter (and John) made when confronting the highest authorities in their world (Acts 4:12). That says volumes about this name Jesus, doesn’t it?
Three ancient spokepersons – Paul, Isaiah, and Peter – who had the same esteem for God – seems like that ought to be something pretty awesome to repeat. Maybe that’s what had Randy initially thinking this song he was beginning to write should be a ‘very slow, contemplative’ thing. It will be a breathtaking, even fearsome time when humanity finally meets Him in-person. But, for those of us whom He welcomes into His home, a celebration like no other will quickly ensue. Randy just didn’t feel like he wanted to wait any longer! How about you? Randy says ‘join in!’
The only source for the story of the song is this blogger’s e:mail contact-exchange with the author-composer on 9/22/2022.
See link here for information on the song’s author-composer: https://www.lipscomb.edu/directory/gill-randy
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