“Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care.”

“Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care.”

Hymn: “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder” – Words & Music by James M. Black (1856-1938)
Tune: ROLL CALL

I’m back to my roots here, using a toe-tapping gospel song from the Revivalist tradition… one that is most often omitted from current hymnals. It is, however, familiar to most of us from various denominational backgrounds. It’s a staple at Waxahachie’s Old Fashioned Singing Project.*

The local community theater recently did THE MUSIC MAN featuring one of my grandsons in a four-measure solo! It’s a favorite show of all us “music men and women” who have spent our entire lives convincing people they CAN make music, even before their instrument shows up. I left many people waiting for their Wells Fargo Wagon to arrive.

In that show, there is a group of local ladies-who-talk… okay, they gossip and embellish. Their song is “Pick a Little, Talk a Little.” Their conversation consumes them, and they are often the highlight of the production.

When you and your allies get together, about what do you talk? I’m probably in don’t-ask-don’t-tell territory here, but you probably get the picture. It may be more like the Pick-a-Little Ladies than any of us want to admit.

Hidden amongst the rollicking measures of “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” we come across this admonition to TALK about Jesus – his character, his nature, his personality. Unlike having a little talk WITH Jesus, we’re encouraged to have a little talk ABOUT Jesus.

It is sometimes uncomfortable for even the most faithful follower to bring up the subject of our Leader. But we should. Whenever we have opportunity, we need to put in a good word for the Savior. It is not necessary to lay out a full theology or some extensive plan to lure them into the kingdom; it is, however, a good idea to speak well of the One we call Lord.

The next time your bitty-group (roosters are as bad as hens, by the way) takes a turn toward gossip or unwholesome talk, turn the topic upside down and say something good about Jesus. We couldn’t cover “all his wondrous love and care” in a single conversation, but anything we can put out there which makes him look good will elevate his standing among our friends. It is, after all, one of the ways we “magnify” the Lord.

This Hymn from the Gaither Homecoming


“Pick a Little, Talk a Little” – Just for fun!


                                      * - A local non-profit for which I serve in my spare time as the Artistic Director.