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nellie talbot

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Words: Nellie Talbot (no information available)
Music: Edwin Othello Excell (b. Dec. 13, 1851; d. June 10, 1921)

Note: Around the year 1900, a Sunday School teacher in Missouri named Nellie Talbot was wondering what she could share with the children in her class. She thought of the sunlight that brightens God’s creation, and she wrote a little song that draws a parallel between that and what our lives should do in a dark world. (Some books entitle the song I’ll Be a Sunbeam.) In my view, this is one of the better gospel songs for children, offering practical counsel and help.

The Companion to the Songbook of the Salvation Army has a slightly different account of the song’s origin–though the two may be compatible.

“Miss Talbot, visiting London as a delegate from her Sunday School, is said to have written these words at the special request of the children of the family with whom she stayed” (p. 264).

We know nothing more about the authoress. Likely she is destined to remain in obscurity. We do know that gospel songwriter Edwin Excell supplied the tune, and he dedicated the song to his grandson, Edwin Junior.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Sunlight has many uses. At the right time and place it can be a great benefit. It illuminates and warms, and fosters growth and restoration. It also can cleanse. American Justice Louis Brandeis, speaking of the importance of openness and transparency in social institutions as a preventative of corruption, famously said, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

Sunlight can also have a cheering effect. The patient in a hospital bed brightens with the coming of the dawn. And the prisoner can draw new hope from the sunbeams that flood through the bars of his cell window.

The song of Deborah, after the Lord gave the Israelites’ victory in battle, expresses the prayer, “Let those who love Him [the Lord] be like the sun when it comes out in full strength” (Jud. 5:31). Similarly, we have the words of Jesus, “You are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16).

Christ is the primary light, the Source of the light of eternal life (Jn. 8:12). Before we trusted in Him we walked in darkness, but God’s salvation turns us from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). Now, through faith, “You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). When believers obey Him and serve Him, we become reflectors, passing on His light, to the glory of God. In a “crooked and perverse generation,” we are to “shine as lights in the world, holding fast [or holding forth] the word of life” (Phil. 2:15-16).

(1) Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

We ought to be loving in our relationships, and reflect the joy of the Lord (2). But human nature being what it is, we can sometimes have trouble doing that. With that weakness in view, Miss Talbot provides the answer. We can ask the Lord to help us (3).

(3) I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin,
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.

The final stanza of the song expresses an important truth. That Christians are in the service of the Lord, and there’s no “holiday” from that. We serve Him “moment by moment.” Our daily lives are to be a witness for Him, as we live our days for His glory.

(4) I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus;
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live with Him on high.

Questions:

  1. What are some practical ways you can shine for Jesus, today?
  2. How does a Christian’s light grow dim? And what can be done about it?

Links:

Today in 1579 – William Whittingham Died

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Little is known about William Whittingham, but his work lives on long after him. In the mid-1600’s, committees of men associated with the Church of Scotland worked to render the Psalms in a poetical English translation. They hoped to create songs that were both accurate and singable. It took them several years of painstaking labour drawing on the work of others, eventually producing The Scottish Psalter.

Though this is a great and historic contribution to English hymnody, only one selection from it is commonly sung today outside of Scotland. That is the well-known 23rd Psalm. And the version we have is a composite of seven other renderings of the psalm, including work by William Whittingham.  Whittingham’s quaint opening stanza began:

The Lord is only my support,
And He that doth me feed;
How can I then lack anything,
Whereof I stand in need?

The final composite verson of the hymn follows the text of Scripture pretty closely. It begins:

The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.

(2) Today in 1921 – Edwin Excell Died

Edwin Othello Excell made a dramatic career change. For the first 12 years of his adult life he worked as a plasterer and bricklayer. But the Lord had other plans for him. It was during those years that he put his faith in Christ, eventually turning his attention to a music ministry. After receiving extensive training, he began to publish dozens of popular gospel song books. He was also a skilled song leader, assisting several evangelists in that way. And Excell composed the music for about 2,000 songs, occasionally writing the words himself as well.

One song for which he provided both words and music is Since I Have Been Redeemed. Presenting some of the blessings enjoyed by the child of God, it begins with what the Bible calls our “new song”:

I have a song I love to sing,
Since I have been redeemed,
Of my Redeemer, Saviour King,
Since I have been redeemed.

In another stanza the hymn testifies: “I have a Christ who satisfies.” And in still another, “I have a home prepared for me.” Most hymn books include only four stanzas, but there is one more. It talks about the basis for our standing before God. The Bible says that “He [God the Father] made Him who knew no sin [the Lord Jesus] to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21). And “in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

With these things in mind, Edwin Excell’s hymn ends:

I have a joy I can’t express,
Since I have been redeemed,
All through His blood and righteousness,
Since I have been redeemed.

In 1900, Edwin Excell provided the tune for the Sunday School song, I’ll Be a Sunbeam (also known as Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam). He dedicated the result to his grandson, Edwin Junior. The words came from rural Missouri Sunday School teacher Nellie Talbot, who wrote them for the children she taught.

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy
His little one can be.

I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin,
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.