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Download the 8:50 a.m. Service bulletin

Download the 10:50 a.m. Service bulletin

Bulletins are uploaded on the Friday before these Sunday services.

by Joshua L. Mazur, Director of Music 

Pentecost 8 

Hymn 490: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

Some hymns are prayers. Others are confessions of faith. "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light" is both. Written in 1970 by Kathleen Thomerson and paired with her own radiant tune HOUSTON, it has become one of the Episcopal Church's most beloved modern hymns. Though contemporary in origin, its language is deeply biblical and its theology timeless.

The hymn opens with a simple desire.

    "I want to walk as a child of the light.

    I want to follow Jesus."

The Christian life begins there. Before it is about achievement or accomplishment, it is about following Christ. The hymn reminds us that His light is not merely something we admire from a distance. It is a light in which we are invited to walk every day.

Throughout Scripture, light is one of God's most enduring images. It signifies His presence, His truth, and His saving work. The hymn gathers these themes together, speaking of the "Light of the world" who shines in the darkness and whose brightness no darkness can overcome. It reminds us that our calling is not simply to receive that light, but to reflect it.

The tune HOUSTON mirrors the joy of the text. Its flowing melody rises naturally toward the refrain, where the congregation joins in the triumphant words, "Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus." The music itself seems to move from quiet longing to confident prayer.

This hymn speaks beautifully to this Sunday's appointed lessons. Jacob awakens from his dream to discover that God has been with him all along, even when he did not recognize His presence. The Psalm proclaims that no darkness can hide us from God, for "the night is as bright as the day." In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that wheat and weeds must grow together until the final harvest, reminding us that God's kingdom is already at work even while the world remains imperfect. St. Paul likewise tells us that all creation waits in hope for its redemption. Together these readings encourage us to live faithfully in the present while trusting God's ultimate victory.

That is precisely the prayer of this hymn. We ask Christ to shine within us so that, even in a world where darkness has not yet passed away, His light may be seen in our lives.

As you sing this hymn on Sunday, notice how often the text speaks of light, not as an abstract idea, but as the very presence of Christ among His people.

Where is Christ inviting His light to shine more brightly through me this week?