(originally posted on A Worshiper's Heart). John Mark McMillan posted a recent entry to his blog concerning his song, "How He Loves." With the right audience, this is a really powerful song regarding the passionate love of God. But, some people get hung up on the second verse, specifically the phrase "sloppy wet kiss" in the line "So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss." They find it to be too graphic and/or sensual. Others say the image gives them the "willies" or is just plain distracting to their worship.
The song will likely become even more popular now that the David Crowder Band recorded it for the new CD Church Music. Crowder changed the lyric to "unforeseen kiss," which is admittedly less jarring. I fault neither Crowder for changing the lyric nor McMillan for allowing him to do so. After all, the song is not really about sloppy, wet kisses and the metaphor is not essential to the message of the lyric. Crowder's lyric will, in the end, be the one the song will be known by.
But personally, I like the original lyric and I'm glad Kim Walker recorded it. It speaks of both the passion of God and the mess of humanity. It's both divine and gritty, much like the Incarnation itself. And if it makes people stop and think about what they're singing in church, so much the better.
iTunes has both Walker's recording and Crowder's. What about you and your church? Are you singing this song? What lyric do you use? Should this song be on our site?
Just wanted to say I don't have a problem with the lyric. It's, of course, all in how you interpret the metaphor. I have 4 beautiful children. They are all older now (teenagers) but I remember when they were babies and were just learning how to give dad/mom a kiss. It was sloppy, it was wet but it was given and received from a pure heart. My children were, in the only way they knew how at that moment, expressing a totally unconditional love for their father.
I think the issue is not the lyric itself but how the flesh has intervened in our interpretation. Come on folks, "worship in Sprit and in truth". In the Sprit, we must interpret the lyric from the perspective of the pure heart of a loving God. In the flesh, we will interpret from the perspective of sensual man. Worshiping in the Spirit will allow us to take this lyric as a true expression of how great, how deep, how wide is the love of our God. I'll take a sloppy wet kiss anytime from my heavenly Father who's Son chose to go to the cross to redeem me back to a loving relationship with him.
Just a thought!
Steve Buchanan, Worship Pastor
First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach, Florida
We used this song as a solo during a cardboard testimonies presentation. We changed "a sloppy wet kiss" to "a storm without rest". It's not a good fit for our church as a congregational song. The chorus is singable, but the rhythm of the verses is difficult to sing as a congregation. It worked great for us as a special.
I like the "sloppy, wet kisses" lyric. I think "unforeseen kiss" is too tame for the passion God has for us. When I hear that, I think a gentle peck on the top of the head that a father might give his child. But God loves us with unbridled passion and wants us to truly be His bride.
People who are upset about the original lyrics probably shouldn't read Song of Songs out loud in public. The Bible is full of very sensual imagery put into the wording of its time. Why should we be afraid of sensual imagery put into the words of our time?
Yes, Yes Yes. Please do it with multiple voices singing the solos too so we can have our congregation sing it - it don't have soloists!!!
I was so moved by the David Crowder Band's version of this song at the Worship Leader's Conference and have been seeking a version for praise team without solo - but alas, it won't exist until you do it!
I've actually wrestled with this. I like the "sloppy, wet" version personally, but took a poll of vocal team and came up 50/50. So we've been doing "unforeseen" version in deference to the more delicate constitutions among our flock. I'm keeping "sloppy, wet" in my back pocket though. One of these days...
I personally don't mind the original lyric at all. Each worship leader needs to evaluate this song as it relates to their congregation. If it would be a distraction to sing the song as written, then change it. We must to do whatever is needed to bring the message of God's presence to His people - His presence is more important than a song.
vivien. amen. well said. We changed the lyric to "undeserved kiss" when we did it. We had a topical on the grace of God and i couldn't resist doing the song. The congregation recieved it, and it went well with the point that the Holy Spirit was driving home that day. But Vivien put it best, while the lyric is exellent originally, we have to bear with one another in love, if that means we need to patiently explain a lyric, or if we discern it will not be recieved we must do what we must so that the congregation can Praise the Lord with their understanding as Scripture commands. If they don't understand what they are saying... what good is it. No matter how much it means to us, or how great any particular lyric or song it is. If it will cause even one of these little ones to stumble... it's not worth it. If it will cause the unbeliever to be confused and misunderstand something about our great God... it's not worth it. Now I'm not saying this song in particular will do any of that... However it's an important thing to keep in mind. Jesus is King, not the song. There are plenty of songs out there that bless me to pieces, but they just are not congregational worship songs. This is not being dogmatic, this is being loving to the Bride of Christ. so... pray...seek the Lord and what He thinks of each song, and how it will effect your respective congregations, and move forward in the wisdom HE gives to either play it or keep it as a personal song of worship. But DO NOT GROW BITTER AGAINST OTHER BELIEVERS, bear with one another in love :) Lifeway... put the song on your site...why not?(put both versions up) ... and if you're looking for an alternate you can also say undeserved kiss :)
Don't like the line at all. It's just too much for congregational singing, in my view.
Either way is workable and gives a sense of passion; however, GOD is a very passionate GOD and if more of the church would realize that it is about HIS relationship with the bride, they may truly be more passionate about HIM.
Personally, I think this song works best during times of decision and reflection--invitation, alter call, etc. The chorus is very anthemic, but the verses aren't very congregational friendly, no matter what lyric you use. However, this shouldn't prevent the use of the song in said circumstances.
As to the lyric in the second verse, when I first read it, my first thought was "I've got to change this." It fits the style of John Mark's songwriting well, but could definitely cause some confusion, at the least, within a service. I do not care for Crowder's lyric change, either. However, the fact that McMillan allowed the change speaks volumes.
The song title "How He Loves" makes way for describing the many ways God loves us, whether it be a "sloppy, wet kiss," "unforeseen kiss," or any other metaphor which descriptively communicates how God loves us.
Lastly, I've not heard of Kim Walker, but Jared Anderson (who has written and recorded many songs within the LifeWay archives) recorded the "How He Loves" on his latest album Live From My Church using John Mark's original lyric. He shows how powerful the song really is and why LifeWay needs to add it to the, already extensive, arsenal of songs.
This is a poor song for corporate worship and not even that great for personal worship given its theological implications that God's love for us is about our worth instead of God's love for us being an overflow of His infinite worth. It is also one-sided in regards to the mystery that God is both intimate and eminent. He is both our friend and to be feared. But what's really silly is that people value this song so much that a minor change in lyrics would stir up people's defenses. I wish some people were at LEAST as passionate about the Gospel as they were this song. Don't waste your life!
I think D.A. Carson said it best in his book Worship by the Book, "In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it’s a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset."
I have to admit that the notion of a sloppy, wet kiss is provocative. It makes one think of how passionately we are loved by our Maker. The depth of His love is certainly something we need to know. This doesn't necessarily make me comfortable with the image, but does make me hesitant to reject the lyric outright. It may work, when accompanied by appropriate teaching.
Furthermore, the image of a kiss is biblical. I'm not sure it was sloppy and wet, but we do see the father kissing his prodigal son in Luke 15. This would have been a scandalous image in Jesus day. Really, the whole presentation of this rather undignified father would have been scandalous. So, the image of a kiss itself isn't so bad.
I would also note that the concept of a kiss has been used before in a much older worship song.
On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.
from "Here Is Love" by William Rees (1802-1883)
I wonder how scandalous this lyric would have been in its day? Just something to think about.
We use this song at Journey Church a lot. I introduced it on Easter of last year. I wrestled with whether the lyric mentioned would be a hindrance to people receiving the heart of the song which, by the way, blesses my socks off every single time I sing it. I remembered back to the first time I heard the song. I literally laughed at the lyric and thought, "I'm just not sure I can sing that!". But every time I heard the song God spoke deeper and deeper to me. I finally decided to go for it, and pray that God would actually use the lyric line to draw attention to the song in general, to wake my congregation up a bit. (By the way, it's important to note we're a fairly modern, freedom in worship kind of gathering) Anyway, the song went well on Easter. It went even better the next time we used it and so on and so forth. Now, we start the introduction and I see people immediately begin to come to the altar.
My thought here is that you know your congregation, you know when they need to be pushed a bit and when it's more important to give them some space. If we as worship leader just choose songs that 1. Glorify God. 2. Are 100% grounded in God's word. and 3. Draw us personally to the feet of Christ in passionate worship...God will take care of the rest. It's our heart He's after, after all, not our song list.
Blessings-
Angela
Journey Church Fort Smith, AR