Canticle of Love: Meaning, History, and Theology
"And two shall become one in love"
- Written
- 1988
- Category
- Hymn
- Status
- Published
Viewed 22 times
Share this hymn
Help others discover the story, message, and study guide for this hymn.
Story
Canticle of Love is a responsive United Methodist canticle adapted by S T Kimbrough Jr. and published in The United Methodist Hymnal in 1989. The marriage response represented here is based on Ephesians 5:30-31 and has music by Gary Alan Smith.
Overview
Canticle of Love, in the form represented here by the first line “And two shall become one in love,” is the marriage response printed as no. 646b in The United Methodist Hymnal of 1989. It is not a conventional multi-stanza hymn. Rather, it functions as a sung congregational response within a canticle or Scripture reading on Christian love. The hymnal credits S T Kimbrough Jr. as adapter of the text and Gary Alan Smith as composer of the response.
The marriage response draws its strongest biblical identity from Ephesians 5:30-31, where marital union is linked with the church's membership in Christ's body and with Genesis 2:24. In worship, its purpose is therefore concise and communal: the congregation answers the reading by affirming the union of the couple within a Christian understanding of love, covenant, and life in Christ.
The piece is especially suited to United Methodist marriage worship because it is embedded in the hymnal's canticle resources and is also named in Discipleship Ministries' service of Christian marriage among the suggested canticles. Its brevity makes it a liturgical response rather than a narrative song about a couple.
Historical Background
Canticle of Love entered The United Methodist Hymnal in 1989 as no. 646, with a related marriage response listed as 646b. Hymnary describes the larger item as a responsive refrain to a reading and notes that two responses are supplied: a general response and a marriage response. The present HymnInfo record represents the marriage form because its indexed first line is “And two shall become one in love.”
The hymnal credits S T Kimbrough Jr. as adapter, not as the original lyricist. His adaptation is copyrighted © 1988. That distinction matters for both historical accuracy and HymnInfo's contributor model: the piece is an adapted biblical canticle rather than a newly authored stanzaic hymn. Kimbrough is a United Methodist clergyman, scholar, singer, editor, and hymnologist whose wider work has included biblical scholarship, Wesley studies, global Christian song, and denominational mission. Because the current HymnInfo importer does not support an adapter role, he should be identified accurately in the article rather than mislabeled as a lyricist.
Gary Alan Smith composed the musical response published with the marriage form. Hymnary indexes the tune by its incipit rather than by a separate conventional tune name, gives the key as G major, and records the music as © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. Smith was also part of the United Methodist Publishing House staff for the hymnal revision that produced the 1989 book. His later editorial work included The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement of 1991 and other worship resources.
The liturgical setting is well documented. Discipleship Ministries' Service of Christian Marriage I lists Canticle of Love (UMH 646) among suggested psalms and canticles and summarizes it with the marriage theme of two becoming one in love. This places the work within a defined United Methodist marriage rite rather than supporting a broader claim that it is a widely circulated ecumenical wedding hymn.
For copyright purposes, the represented text is not public domain. The 1988 adaptation is still protected in both the United States and the Philippines under the applicable modern copyright terms. The separately copyrighted 1989 musical response does not determine HymnInfo's text-only public_domain field, but it likewise requires appropriate licensing for reproduction of the published music.
Biblical Foundations
The direct Scripture reference indexed for the marriage response is Ephesians 5:30-31. Paul describes believers as members of Christ's body and immediately cites the Genesis language in which a man and woman become one flesh. The response therefore joins marriage imagery with the church's life in Christ rather than treating marriage as an isolated private bond.
Genesis 2:24 supplies the foundational biblical language of leaving, joining, and becoming one flesh. Mark 10:8-9 shows Jesus repeating that creation text and adding the command not to separate what God has joined. These passages give the marriage response its strongest biblical framework.
The larger Canticle of Love in The United Methodist Hymnal also includes a general response associated with John 15:12, Christ's command that disciples love one another as he has loved them. First Corinthians 13:4-7 is a fitting editorial companion for marriage worship because it describes love through patience, humility, truth, hope, and endurance. These broader passages illuminate the ethical character of Christian love without replacing Ephesians 5:30-31 as the specific indexed basis of the marriage response.
Verse Explanation
Because the represented adaptation is copyrighted, a line-by-line reconstruction or detailed paraphrase is not appropriate. Structurally, The United Methodist Hymnal presents Canticle of Love as a reading with responsive refrains, and this record represents the marriage response rather than the general response.
Its liturgical movement is therefore simple: Scripture concerning Christian love and union is proclaimed, and the congregation answers with the marriage response. The response functions as an affirmation of the couple's union within the body of Christ and as a congregational participation in the biblical reading.
Theological Reflection
The marriage response places covenant love inside the larger reality of union with Christ. Ephesians 5 does not speak of marriage only as a private contract; it sets marital union alongside the church's relationship to Christ. That setting encourages Christian couples to understand fidelity, mutual care, and shared life as practices carried out before God and within the believing community.
The response also reflects a theology of embodied commitment. The biblical image of becoming one flesh concerns a real joining of lives, not merely a passing emotion. Christian love is therefore measured by faithfulness, patience, truthfulness, and self-giving action as well as affection.
Because the canticle is responsorial, the congregation has a theological role too. The gathered church does more than observe a wedding; it hears Scripture and answers it together. That pattern fits Christian marriage as a covenant witnessed, prayed for, and supported by a worshiping community.
Church Impact
The strongest documented reception of Canticle of Love is within United Methodist worship. It was incorporated into The United Methodist Hymnal in 1989 as a responsive canticle with general and marriage responses, giving congregations a way to answer a biblical reading on love through song.
Its marriage use is reinforced by Discipleship Ministries' Service of Christian Marriage I, which lists Canticle of Love (UMH 646) among suggested psalms and canticles. This provides direct evidence for denominational liturgical use without requiring a broader claim about popularity across other traditions.
The piece also illustrates a significant feature of late twentieth-century hymnal editing: worship books increasingly included short acclamations, psalm responses, and canticles alongside traditional stanzaic hymns, allowing congregational song to function within readings and rites as well as in full hymn singing.
Musical Notes
Gary Alan Smith composed the music for the marriage response published in The United Methodist Hymnal. Hymnary indexes the tune by its incipit rather than by a separate established tune name, gives the published key as G major, and identifies the music as © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House.
The musical setting is designed for responsorial use: a short congregational answer connected to a spoken or sung reading rather than a multi-stanza hymn tune. This makes its liturgical function different from a conventional wedding hymn with several verses.
The music remains a separate copyrighted work. HymnInfo's public_domain field is text-only, so that musical copyright does not cause the Boolean to be false; the field is false because Kimbrough's represented 1988 textual adaptation itself remains protected.
Application
- Use the marriage response within a Scripture-centered wedding service rather than treating it as a stand-alone romantic song.
- Read Ephesians 5:30-31 with Genesis 2:24 so the congregation hears the biblical connection behind the response.
- Invite couples to discuss how covenant love is practiced through patience, truthfulness, forgiveness, and mutual care.
- Encourage the congregation to understand its presence at a wedding as a commitment to prayerful support, not merely attendance.
- Use a licensed hymnal or authorized music source for the copyrighted adaptation and musical response.
Discussion Questions
- Why does Ephesians 5:30-31 connect marriage with membership in Christ's body?
- How does Genesis 2:24 shape the Christian understanding of marital union?
- What is gained when a congregation responds to Scripture together rather than only listening to a reading?
- How can a church support a married couple after the wedding service is over?
- Why is it important to distinguish S T Kimbrough Jr.'s role as adapter from the role of an original lyricist?
Teaching Tips
- Explain that this item is a responsive canticle, not a conventional multi-stanza hymn.
- Read Ephesians 5:30-31 and trace its quotation of Genesis 2:24 before introducing the response.
- Point out that The United Methodist Hymnal provides both a general response and a marriage response within Canticle of Love.
- Use 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to discuss concrete practices of Christian love without reconstructing the copyrighted canticle text.
- When preparing a wedding, use the licensed hymnal or authorized music edition so both the 1988 adaptation and 1989 response music are handled appropriately.
Sources
-
Hymnary.org — The United Methodist Hymnal #646b, Canticle of Love marriage response: adapter, composer, publication date, Scripture, key, and copyright
View source ↗ -
Hymnary.org — The United Methodist Hymnal #646, Canticle of Love general entry and responsive-refrain notes
View source ↗ -
Discipleship Ministries — A Service of Christian Marriage I, listing Canticle of Love (UMH 646) among suggested canticles
View source ↗ -
Discipleship Ministries — History of Hymns: Come, Be Baptized, biographical profile of Gary Alan Smith
View source ↗ -
Discipleship Ministries — A Tribute to Carlton R. Young, Gary Alan Smith on Perkins study and the hymnal revision project
View source ↗ -
Hymnary.org — The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement, edited by Gary Alan Smith, Abingdon Press, 1991
View source ↗ -
S T Kimbrough Jr. — Academician and Churchman biography
View source ↗ -
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology — S T Kimbrough Jr.
View source ↗ -
U.S. Copyright Office — How Long Does Copyright Protection Last?
View source ↗ -
Lawphil — Republic Act No. 8293, Section 213, term of copyright protection in the Philippines
View source ↗ -
World English Bible Classic — Ephesians 5
View source ↗ -
World English Bible Classic — Genesis 2
View source ↗ -
World English Bible Classic — Mark 10
View source ↗ -
World English Bible Classic — John 15
View source ↗ -
World English Bible Classic — 1 Corinthians 13
View source ↗
Lyrics
Lyrics Not Displayed
This hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. To respect copyright, the full lyrics are not displayed here. HymnInfo still provides historical, biblical, and theological study notes where available.
Sheet Music
Music Sheet Not Displayed
This hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. To respect copyright, the full music sheet is not displayed here. Please use a licensed hymnal, authorized publisher, or approved sheet-music provider.
Download Resources
Teaching and small-group resources available for this hymn.
Full lyrics and sheet music are not displayed because this hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. Teaching resources prepared for study and discussion may still be available below.
Help Create More Free Teaching Resources
These teaching resources are free to use. Contributions help us research more hymns and create additional teaching materials.