There's Just Something About That Name

I was nearly six years old when I first heard the song.

Sitting in a semi circle next to my church pals, we sat and looked at a paper with the lyrics and listened to a cassette tape of our Sunday school teacher singing a cappella through the boom box.

It was a slow song.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.

The tune would hit sharp notes that gave it an eery sound.

I hated it.

But it was early December and it was one of the selected pieces for the 1st + 2nd graders to sing in the Christmas Program.

Partnered with “away in a manger” and “10 little angels” … we were the angels.

We had finally migrated from barn animals to angels and the better hits of Christmas Program glory but because our teacher got to be in charge of music, this song was on our list.

Slow slow slow, BORING.

Mrs. Roberta was her name. Lean, sweet but strict, with white hair. I never knew a day in my church going life without her having white hair.

She was a children’s music teacher at a local private school and truly knew how to hold a classroom together as well as teach music. She didn’t play about A Capella singing either.

We learned it, we yawned to it, but we sang our angelic hearts out in the church christmas program and all the parents held their camcorders on their shoulders filming us in the most Christmas 1997 fashion.

Every time from that point forward, if we sang that song at church, I thought back to how many times I had to listen to that cassette tape and I could see Mrs. Roberta passing out the sheet music to all of us. Our deep sighs permeating the room and then singing singing singing our hearts out with her.

Fast forward Twenty something years later and I was a mama.

Rocking a sick baby.

I was sick myself.

The world was shut down in mandated quarantine. Riots and hurt and offense and unjust murder and strife and no hugging and this sickness killing thousands of people and news headlines that would make you shudder and a death ticker and …..sigh. You know. terrible terrible terrible.

fear.

I was alone 5 nights a week while my husband worked and sleepless nights were filled with tears and rocking and praying and hoping for better days.

One night, amidst what just felt like sheer terror from the weight of the world…. that cassette tape started playing in my mind.

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.”

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” i called out. Because I didn’t know who else could help this terror I felt.

Emmy Lou’s whining continued.

The tune started to come out and I felt the weight of the words and hot tears.

“Kings and KIngdom’s will all pass away

but there’s something about that name.”

Emmy Lou calmed.

I calmed down.

I could feel a shift in the room and a massive reminder that what is happening will pass. He won’t. There is truly something about that name.

It became our song. The song we use when everything is just too much. When we do our bedtime routine. When we are just overwhelmed. We sing it. “the Jesus name song” according to Emmy Lou herself.

Fast forward to last Sunday morning.

Our church Famliy was singing “What a wonderful name it is” by Hillsong United.

A grammy award winning song. Yes Lord.

With a multigenerational church, you could see the barrier between the old and young. Basically, the ones who knew the hit from just a few years ago and those that didn’t.

The instruments covered the 50% of the audience that was just reading the lyrics and learning the song for the first time.

Then, the drums stopped, the piano ceased, the guitar slowly faded.

The worship pastor started singing solo in an invitation form for us to join him A Capella.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.

The whole audience knew it.

Young and old.

hands raised.

the loudest I had heard this church sing since visiting for the first time 2 months ago.

The young and old knew it and we all felt it.

I closed my eyes and saw the semi circle again.

Tears filled my eyes and I felt like I could nearly weep aloud.

I could see Mrs. Roberta passing out a piece of paper that would have words on it that would awaken my soul to the truth of the gospel, that would shatter fear in my life, that would rock my baby to sleep, that would save all of us, over twenty years later.

The world, the kings, the kingdoms, the presidents, the policies + executive orders, the murders, injustice, pain, poverty, loss, pandemics, masks, homelessness, offense, anger, strife, division….. will all pass away.

What a wonderful name it is.

There’s just something about that name.