THERE IS
A REDEEMER
WRITTEN BY MELODY GREEN
RECORDED BY KEITH GREEN ON SONGS FOR THE SHEPHERD (PRETTY GOOD RECORDS, 1982)
PRODUCED BY BILL MAXWELL AND KEITH GREEN
1992 BROWN BANNISTER AND KELLY WILLARD PERFORMED “THERE IS A REDEEMER” ON NO COMPROMISE:
REMEMBERING THE MUSIC OF KEITH GREEN
2002 YOUR LOVE BROKE THROUGH: THE WORSHIP SONGS OF KEITH GREEN INCLUDES A NEW VERSION OF “THERE IS A REDEEMER,” PERFORMED BY MICHELLE TUMES
Songs for the Shepherd was released just a few months before the horrific plane crash that would take the life of Keith Green, two of his young children, and another entire family. It was only Green’s fourth album, and it was as full of his S trademark passion and conviction as ever.
“We’re calling it an album of praise and worship,” Keith told CCM in May 1982, “because every single song is written as a worship song to the Lord or as a message from God to us, His beloved Christians.” He explained that the album would certainly have its upbeat moments, with electric guitars and such, but mentioned that he had also been quite moved during the recording process. “There’s one or two songs on there where I almost could not record the vocal because I was crying so hard,” he said. “And the anointing of the spirit falling was so strong I almost had to stop recording.”
One of the standout cuts from that album is “There Is a Redeemer,” written by Keith’s wife Melody. It is a song that has long stuck in the hearts of listeners, serving as a bridge between conservative-leaning worshipers and the growing presence of modern praise music.
“As a young lad growing up in England, ‘There Is a Redeemer’ was a big song,” remembers Martin Smith, vocalist for the praise/rock band Delirious?. “Even in the church that I grew up in, which was quite conservative, where the ladies wore hats and the men wore suits, they would all be singing ‘There Is a Redeemer.’ The days of drum kits and electric guitars in church were still far away at that stage.”
As Songs for the Shepherd was still only beginning to circulate, on July 28, 1982, there was a small plane crash, which took the lives of Keith, 3-year-old Josiah and 2-year-old Bethany Green. Wife and mother Melody was home with 1-year-old Rebekah, and was six weeks pregnant with their fourth child Rachel. Keith was only 28.
Dallas Holm has come to appreciate the songs and performances of Green even more today than he did 20 years ago. “Oh man, his music…There’s a station here that plays him once in a while and they’ll wedge it between whatever’s on the radio now and it actually sounds better than most of the stuff they’re playing,” he laughs. “It’s like you want to call them up and go, ‘This is songwriting! This is what we’re supposed to be doing here!’”
Keith Green once said, “The only music minister to whom the Lord will say, ‘Well done, thy good and faithful servant,’ is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying, and to whom music is the least important part of their life. Glorifying the only worthy One has to be a minister’s most important goal.”
And although Keith is now with Jesus, his songs, performances and words continue to impact lives. Last Days Ministries, started by Keith and Melody, is still going strong, more than 20 years later.
“I actually took Keith and his two oldest kids fishing about two weeks before his plane went down. Keith had never fished and he always used to make fun of me for doing it. So finally I said, ‘Keith have you ever fished?’ ‘Well, no…’ And I said, ‘Then you’ve got nothing to say until you come fishing with me!’ So he came fishing and they actually caught some! The last memory I have of Keith was when we got back to the house and we had brought some little sunfish with us. There was an inflatable pool there, just about five feet around and we filled it up with water and put the fish in the pool and his little boy in the pool with them. And he was just in heaven playing with all those fish in that water! And that was the last I ever saw Keith.”
DALLAS HOLM