Tell me the Stories of Jesus hymn....how it came to be.

Tell Me

the Stories of Jesus

William Henry Parker, 1845-1929

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear.... Scenes by the wayside, Tales of the sea, Stories of Jesus, Tell them to me.

On the summer of 1885 a warmhearted Baptist businessman in Nottingham, England.  His mind settled on the young students in his Sunday school class. Wanting attention. Needing direction. Always tugging at him with one request: "Tell us another story."

Before the day was over, William Parker had written the lyrics of this song made memorable by the soothing melody it later inspired, when a publisher ran a contest to find a fitting tune.

As I peruse my cache of hymnbooks I am reminded of similar first lines, none written expressly for children: Fanny Crosby's "Tell me the story of Jesus / Write on my heart every word" was published a few years before Parker penned his lines-—-an ocean away.

       Parker and Crosby probably knew the then-popular "Tell Me the Old, Old Story," written twenty years earlier by Britisher Kate Hankey. Her "Tell Me" is drawn from a long poem titled "The Story Wanted," in which the narrator begs a gospel story: "Tell me the story slowly ... often ... softly ... always ... simply, / As to a little child."

Tell me—tell the children-—-the story. Many Christians have grasped hold of the challenge. Others are rediscovering their heritage. I recendy read of a mainline pastor who reshuffled leadership priorities—when he discovered his Sunday school children could not name one Bible story that had any relevance to life here and now. Suddenly retelling stories to children seemed more important than tending to endless administrative tasks.

"Tell me the story" It's a request of every generation of children. Every year at her birthday dinner, my young friend Glenna asks her mother the same question: "Tell me the story about the day I was born."

And I vividly remember one summer evening in 1985, just a hundred years after William Parker wrote "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus." I was visiting my parents for a weekend, and another guest graced the house: my youngest niece, a toddler still in diapers, just beginning to string words into sentences. With granddaughter Elizabeth snuggled at his side, my father "read" through Peter Spiers Noah's Ark picture book. Telling the story. Naming the animals. Walking the rainbow. Closing the book.

And then came Elizabeth's supplication, as basic as it can be: "Read again."

Repeat the stories. Our children need to hear them.

Long ago and far away does matter. Here and now.

First let me hear how the children - Stood round his knee;

And I shall fancy his blessing - Resting on me.

......

Lord, give me a new appreciation of the old, old story that you chose to leave with us. Your story. Our story. The Good-News story. Give me opportunity to tell the story in afresh way to someone—of any age—-who is eager to hear it.

....................

From the book: "Spiritual moments with the Great Hymns" by

Evelyn Bence

......

AND  I'VE  ALSO  TOLD  THE  STORY  OF  JESUS  IN  THE  GOSPELS,  ON  MY  WEBSITE,  UNDER  "THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  BIBLE  STORY"  -  TOLD  SO  CHILDREN  CAN  UNDERSTAND.

Keith Hunt