Traditional Hymns
Child of Blessing, Child of Promise
Child of Blessing, Child of Promise
Listen to:
Child of Blessing, Child of Promise (.midi) Child of Blessing, Child of Promise (.mp3) Child of Blessing, Child of Promise Bells Version (.mp3)
1. Child of blessing, child of promise, love's creation, love indeed! Fresh from God, refresh our spirits, into joy and laughter lead.
2. Child of joy, our dearest treasure, God's you are, from God you came. Back to God we humbly give you, blessing you in Jesus' name.
3. Child of God, your loving Parent, learn to know whose child you are. Grow to laugh and sing and worship, trust and love God more than all.
The Story of the Hymn "Child of Blessing, Child of Promise" by Ronald S. Cole-Turner
"Child of Blessing, Child of Promise" is a modern baptismal hymn written in 1980-1981 by Rev. Dr. Ronald S. Cole-Turner (born 1948), an ordained United Church of Christ minister and theologian. Cole-Turner, who served as the H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (retired in 2022), is known for his work bridging theology with science and technology. However, this hymn (his only widely published one) has become one of his most enduring contributions, appearing in numerous denominational hymnals worldwide, including The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), Glory to God (Presbyterian, 2013), and supplements across Protestant traditions.Origin and Inspiration
The hymn was composed in response to a call from the United Church of Christ (UCC) for new hymns using inclusive language for an upcoming hymnal supplement. At the time, Cole-Turner was a pastor in Syracuse, New York. Personal inspiration came from observing his young daughter playing outside the parsonage, which evoked themes of childhood joy, divine love, and promise.He spent several days crafting the text to fit a common meter (87.87) while ensuring it emphasized baptism as a seal of God's grace. After finalizing the words, he consulted his denomination's hymnal metrical index for a suitable tune. Many options mismatched the syllabic stress, but he settled on STUTTGART, an 18th-century tune attributed to Christian F. Witt (c. 1660-1716) from his Psalmodia Sacra (1715), later adapted by Henry J. Gauntlett. Cole-Turner sketched the music, typed the stanzas, and submitted it.
About six weeks later, it was accepted for publication. The hymn first appeared in Everflowing Streams: Songs for Worship (1981), a UCC supplement edited by Ruth C. Duck and Michael G. Bausch. An alternate version of stanza 1 was included for traditions practicing child dedication rather than infant baptism.
Interestingly, the hymn was later sung at the baptism of Cole-Turner's second daughter, Rachel, adding a deeply personal layer to its history.
