Author’s note: Often before worship services, I enjoy playing hymns and reflecting on their lyrics. One of my favorites is entitled “I Love to Tell the Story.” This is the story behind that song.
While evangelism has been the responsibility of Christians since Jesus uttered His ‘Great Commission’ (Matt. 28.18-20), it has not always enjoyed an impact on society. But after the Reformation, and with the invention of the printing press making the Bible available to the masses, this began to change. In the 1700s, preachers like George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley drew thousands to faith in Christ. In the 1800s, a group in London, known as the ‘Clapham Sect’, drew many more to Christ. In 1834, Arabella Catherine Hankey was born to a member of this group – but she was always known as Kate.
Kate grew up surrounded by this evangelistic fervor. In her twenties, she organized Sunday School classes for children in London. She wrote Bible Class Teachings to instruct children, plus books of poetry. All royalties went to support foreign missions. Then, at the age of 30, Kate became very ill. Confined to bed for months, she began writing a poem. It was published in January of 1866, entitled “The Story Wanted.” Some of its lyrics are still well-known today:
Tell me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love;
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
Later, in November of 1866, still recovering from her illness, Kate wrote a second long poem which was also published; it was entitled “The Story Told.” Its lyrics echo those of her earlier poem, and are also still well-known today:
I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love;
I love to tell the story
Because I know ‘tis true,
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else can do.
The following year, a speaker at an international YMCA convention in Montreal read from Kate Hankey’s poems. A songwriter named William Doane put one part to music, and it is known today as the hymn Tell Me the Old, Old Story. Another songwriter, William Fischer, wrote music for I Love to Tell the Story in 1869. In 1875, Sankey included it in his famous Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs, and the rest is history.
About twenty years ago, I went to the Philippines with Bob Tebow and some students to preach the gospel in schools. We sang songs together, and one was Kate Hankey’s poem I Love to Tell the Story. It reminded us that the story of Jesus could change lives for time and eternity. It still reminds me of that today. I hope you love to tell the story of Jesus’ love, too.