History of Hymns: 'With Water Freely Flowing'

“With Water Freely Flowing”
by Larry E. Schultz
Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 450
Community of Christ Sings, 502
Voices Together, 452

With water freely flowing we celebrate new birth,
in sacred sign expressing God’s love for all on earth.
The Well of Living Water springs up for us this day;
engulfed by love’s acceptance, our fears are washed away.
Words: © 2010 Celebrating Grace, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

During the second week of January in the Epiphany season, the church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus in the liturgical calendar. Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), was baptized as an example to humanity and a fulfillment of God’s salvific promise that he would bear the sins of the world.

The hymn, “With Water Freely Flowing,” penned by Larry E. Schultz (b. 1965), describes the symbolism of freely flowing water in Christian baptism. Baptism plays a significant representation of new birth in Christians’ lives. Some Christians view baptism as a subsequent step after believing in Christ who died on the cross to atone for sins and saved their lives from the wrath of God. Baptism is a sign of witness to others that Christians have received new life in Christ. Some Christians believe that baptism represents a new birth and a commitment to follow Jesus’ ways in their daily lives. This includes a willingness to serve others and work toward justice, peace, and love for all people. Some Christians view baptism as a welcoming entrance into the church, uniting them as one faith community in Christ. Thus, in this view, baptism becomes a celebratory welcome into a loving community.

The Baptist music minister, Larry E. Schultz, grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His winning in the high school division of a choral composition contest sponsored by Oklahoma Baptists encouraged him to develop the skills of composition to be used in his ministry. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in theory and composition from the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts at Oklahoma Baptist University in 1986. He continued his studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, earning a Master of Church Music degree in 1989. He has served as Minister of Music at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (Raleigh, North Carolina) since 2001. Schultz has written hymns, choral music, and instrumental music for church, school, and community.

Stanza one of this hymn begins with the word “water,” which is the sacred sign of the new birth in Christ. Christians celebrate the new birth in Christ that is made possible by God’s abundant love. Schultz uses the metaphor of freely flowing water to portray God’s abundant love that flows for all people on earth. Jesus Christ is the Well of Living Water given by God to all people as a demonstration and fulfillment of God's abundant love.

The Living Water offers himself to the people. When we accept the offer, encounter the giver, and drink the Living Water, which is Jesus himself, we will be contented in him. We will no longer be afraid because Jesus accepts us as we are and washes our fears away, just as he did to the Samaritan woman in John 4. We will no longer be thirsty because the Living Water will continue to flow within us eternally.

Stanza two focuses on the Spirit. The writer depicts the Spirit as a “descending dove” and “startling Presence,” as well as “The Breath of God” (רוּחַ: “Ruach,” in Hebrew). Stanza two echoes the story of the baptism of Jesus in the four Gospels (Matt 3:13–17; Mark 1:8–11; Luke 3:21–22; and John 1:29–34). The Holy Spirit, symbolized by a dove, descended upon Jesus’ head, and God’s voice from heaven called him his dearly loved Son.

The words “startling Presence” in stanza two refer to the sudden appearance of the Spirit and to the divine presence in life that appears when least expected. The love that is mentioned in stanza one and the breath of God dwell in Christians to sustain and enliven them so that they live a life that goes beyond the baptism and see their baptism as a sign to start living by the Holy Spirit.

“By water and the Spirit baptized in Christ,” in stanza three points out the significance of baptism in Jesus. John the Baptist predicts that Jesus, the Messiah who will come after him, baptizes with more than water; Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). John’s statement in John 1:33 parallels John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John’s two statements emphasize two great works of the Messiah: removing sin and bestowing the Holy Spirit.

Christians who have put their faith in God and have been baptized by water and the Spirit have experienced the transformative power of God in their lives. They have been engulfed by the love and grace of God who sent Jesus, his only Son, to remove their sins and wash away their fears.

Baptism becomes a sign and witness of Christians beginning the journey of faith. Baptism by water and the Spirit is also a sign of the availability of God’s grace to Christians that enables Christians to walk in this journey of faith. Through the love, grace, and presence of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, implied in this hymn, the text reemphasizes the presence and role of God the Trinity in the lives of believers.

The hymn employs 7.6.7.6 D meter and is published in three hymnals with two different tunes. The tune OPEN HEART was composed by Amanda Husberg (1940–2021). Husberg has composed more than 286 hymn tunes that have been published in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and China. She has also written hymns that appear in many hymnals and supplements published by various publishers. She was a life member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. She frequently attended and led the congregational singing sectionals at Hymn Society annual conferences.

The tune MERLE’S TUNE was composed by Hal Harold Hopson (b. 1933). Hopson is a professor, leader, organist, and conductor. He has composed and arranged hundreds of musical works.

The tune OPEN HEART by Husberg is published in Voices Together (2020); the tune MERLE’S TUNE by Hopson is published in Celebrating Grace (2010) and Community of Christ Sings (2013). In the liturgical setting, the hymn “With Water Freely Flowing” can be sung during the Epiphany season on the second week of January at a baptismal service or during the confirmation of faith moment. To portray new life in Christ, the hymn can be played and sung in a more joyful mood.

Larry E. Schultz, the author of “With Water Freely Flowing,” has collaborated with hymn writer Jann Aldredge-Clanton (b. 1946), as the composer, arranger, and music editor for several collections, including Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians (2006), Inclusive Hymns for Liberation, Peace, and Justice (2011), Earth Transformed with Music! (2015), and Inclusive Songs for Resistance and Social Action (2018).

SOURCES:

Chad Owen Brand, ed. Perspective of Spirit Baptism. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2004.

Bert Polman, J. Richard Watson, and Carlton R. Young, “Hal H. Hopson,” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, http://www.hymnology.co.uk/h/hal-h-hopson (accessed January 2, 2024).

Jann Aldredge Clanton, blogspot: Home (jannaldredgeclanton.com) (accessed March 30, 2024).

Jacque Browning Jones, “Amanda Husberg,” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
Canterbury Press, http://www.hymnology.co.uk/a/amanda-husberg (accessed January 2, 2024).

Larry E. Schultz, Minister - Larry E. Schultz (larryeschultz.com) (accessed January 9, 2024).

Carolien Tantra graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Church Music from Singapore Bible College, Singapore. She has served as a music minister in Christ Jesus Church Greenville Congregation in Jakarta, Indonesia, and other churches while pursuing her degrees. Currently, she is a lecturer and coordinator for the church music program at Southeast Asia Bible Seminary (SAAT) in Malang, Indonesia. Her primary subjects are church music and worship. She is also a candidate in the Doctor of Pastoral Music degree program at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University where she studied hymnology with Dr. C. Michael Hawn.