Day by Day by Kelley Barton
Day by Day
Day by Day
Oh dear Lord, three things I pray
To see Thee more clearly
Love Thee more dearly
Follow Thee more nearly
Day by Day
Those are the lyrics to a song from the musical Godspell, created in 1970. I bought the 8 track tape of the soundtrack, later the CD. Saw the show on the stage and sing this song, and others, when the mood strikes. I LOVE THIS MUSICAL! Today the lyrics to this song seem more appropriate than ever.
A bit of background on Godspell.
A young man name John-Michael Tebelak had a negative experience at an Easter service. He was in “hippie” attire and felt judgement for his appearance. He also felt the Episcopal service was “dreary”. This inspired him to create Godspell as his Master's thesis at Carnegie Mellon University. John-Michael wanted to bring the Gospel's joy to a modern audience. He sought to present Jesus's message as simple, joyful, and revolutionary, contrasting with the rigid, institutional religion he sometimes experienced. (Sound familiar?)
What started as an improvisational, student-led project based on Matthew's Gospel, eventually turned into a professional musical when composer Stephen Schwartz joined to write the iconic score. Stephen is Jewish. Together these 2 men created a modern retelling of Jesus' teachings.
I heard negative things in my church at the time about Godspell. First, it was created by Jews, they said, who didn’t understand Jesus. As if John-Michael’s Christian credentials were canceled out by Stephen’s Jewishness.
Some critics considered the show's focus on the "community" aspect of Jesus’ teaching, rather than doctrinal perfection, to be flawed. And yet Fans viewed it as a vital, "divinely inspired" artistic expression for its time.
Back to Day by Day.
The lyrics are a paraphrase of a prayer from a dying bishop. St. Richard of Chichester, in the 13th century, wrote this prayer which began with:
"Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ... May I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day".
As we continue moving through our series on Prayer, maybe listen and sing along to this song as a way of praying. By narrowing our focus to these 3 simple tenants, it might create a deeper sense of loving community and standing up for the marginalized.
Because if we see Jesus more clearly, love Jesus more dearly, and follow Jesus more nearly, what might the result be?