It must have helped them feel more confident, as they approached parenthood for the first time. That’s what you might say, when you hear what Paul McClure remembers about how he felt -- and the comforting resolution he also experienced -- when he and his wife Hannah were pregnant in November 2013. This approaching fatherhood was a bit scary for him, and then he thought that if he and his family could just say “Jesus, We Love You”, things would be OK; he could handle being a dad, and Hannah would feel no anxiety at being a mom. This Redding, California couple dwelt on, and finally rested in the assurance that the presence of God’s Son would undergird their role as parents to their own son. Things were going to be different for them in one respect, but in another way, the unchanging nature of their most important relationship was something that gave them a firm foundation – a cornerstone (v.1). As they pondered their situation, and the circular nature of Him and what He provides, and how that gets reflected back and forth between us and Him – these thoughts really made these new parents feel His security anew.
You can hear the McClures song story, in their own words (see the YouTube link below), a story that unfolds all the different reactions they had to bringing a new life into the world; it was a time when they were praying even as they made the music. Kalley Heiligenthal evidently also had some thoughts that translated into lyrics for the song the McClures initially crafted; Kalley’s own heartbreaking loss as a parent (she lost her daughter in 2019), and her expression of trust in Him while in the midst of her loss, suggests she and the McClures had voiced something unshakeable in 2013-2014 that was from deep inside all three of them. (See also Kalley’s video interview on another YouTube link below.) In short, to whom else can anyone turn for instructions about life, except to the One who creates life? The McClures felt their son’s (Ezra’s) life would be OK if he was nurtured with the love that both Paul and Hannah had first received from Him. Paul calls it ‘the big…explosive moment’ he wanted to capture in the song, when they would sing the song’s title words. Hannah adds that His love, and how we receive it and redirect it back to Him, was what gave her the lyrics for the song’s bridge section; ‘our affection…devotion’ is given back to Him who first gave it to us --‘for all that you’ve done…’ here’s the appreciation, our anthem to say we are beholden to You. Paul declares that his response to Him ultimately is not only thankfulness, but also adoration and surrender. In Paul’s estimation, realizing and appreciating all that Jesus is makes it easy to follow Him, even when life is hard. The simplicity of loving Jesus…that’s what Paul says is at the heart of the song.
Hear some parents talk about the birth of a child…maybe that’s when it hits the human most, that there must be a God who loves. This intricate, little, living person is His idea. ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ – that’s a pretty common phrase that God issues at various points in His creative enterprise on earth (from Genesis to Hosea, in the Old Testament). Where would I be if two people had ignored these words (in the early 1960s)? Is it an accident that living emerges from loving? Change just one letter in either word, and the meaning is transformed. But, is the source changed? What do you think Paul and Hannah thought? Did Kalley change her basic beliefs when her youngster died? These three spoke their answers, and also sang them. You and I can, too.
See/hear the story of the song shared here (appx two-minute video) by the songwriters: Jesus We Love You (Song Story) - Paul McClure | We Will Not Be Shaken (youtube.com)
Read about two of the songwriters here: The McClures - Wikipedia
See a potent video re: a heartbreaking episode in one of the songwriter’s lives here: Kalley Heiligenthal: Learning to Live After Heartbreaking Loss | Better Together TV (youtube.com)
See information on the image of the Redding seal here: File:Seal of Redding, California.png - Wikimedia Commons. This work was created by a government unit (including state, county, city, and municipal government agencies) that derives its powers from the laws of the State of California and is subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Government Code § 6250 et seq.). It is a public record that was not created by an agency which state law has allowed to claim copyright, and is therefore in the public domain in the United States.
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