Adopted

In today’s hymn, we celebrate our adoption by God through Jesus Christ. Written in 1900 and arranged by John Sweney, this song never found the popularity of most of Crosby’s songs. In fact, it was only published in four hymnals. However, please take a few minutes to read the lyrics and appreciate the meaning of this great hymn.

I trust you will enjoy this great hymn as you read the lyrics. Be sure to check out the YouTube videos below as well where you can sing along.

Adopted Lyrics

The Theology

The theology of Adopted is rich. She begins by expressing her deep gratitude for the fact that she is adopted. In the first verse and refrain she writes of the joy, gratitude, and reality of adoption, “I am a child and an heir of a king.” What more can we say than “Thank you!”?

Our adoption in Jesus Christ came at the deepest cost. Certainly, this reflects the deep love of God for us. In adoption, we enjoy God’s patience even in our sin. Fanny Crosby knew these things and celebrates them in this hymn.

Adopted. An heir. A future with God. Loved. We have a Father. Praise the Lord for His goodness.

The Author and Composer

Fanny Crosby, author

The author of Adopted, Fanny Crosby (sometimes spelled Fannie), was born March 24, 1820. She became blind at the age of six weeks from maltreatment of her eyes during a spell of sickness. At the age of fifteen she entered the New York Institution for the Blind, where she received a good education. She became a teacher in the institution in 1847.

She began to write Sunday-school hymns for William. B. Bradbury in 1864. As the years went on, she spent regular hours on certain days at the office of The Biglow & Main Co., the firm for which she did most of her writing, and for whom she has composed over four thousand hymns. Fanny loved her work, and was happy in it. The secret of this contentment dates from her first composition at the age of eight years. “It has been the motto of my life,” she says. It is:
“O what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be;”

She said that had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education, nor so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory. She knows a great many portions of the Bible by heart, and had committed to memory the first four books of the Old Testament, and also the four Gospels before she was ten years of age.[1]

 

John R. Sweney, composer

John R. Sweney (1837-1899) was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and exhibited musical abilities at an early age. After the Civil War, he became Professor of Music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, and director of Sweney’s Cornet Band. He eventually earned Bachelor and Doctor of Music degrees at the Academy.

Sweney began composing church music in 1871 and became well-known as a leader of large congregations. His appreciators stated “Sweney knows how to make a congregation sing” and “He had great power in arousing multitudes.” He also became director of music for a large Sunday school at the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia of which John Wanamaker was superintendent (Wanamaker was the founder of the first major department store in Philadelphia). In addition to his prolific output of hymn melodies and other compositions, Sweney edited or co-edited about sixty song collections, many in collaboration with William J. Kirkpatrick.[2]

 

Enjoy This Media

Some groups singing the song from YouTube:

Here is the music without anyone singing. This hymn is so rare, few have sung it and uploaded it to YouTube.

 

Here is the earliest published copy of the song from Songs of the Century, song #11 from 1900 [4]:

 

Here is a more modern version from The Cyber Hymnal #31 [6]:

 

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