Francis Foster › Hymnals

Early 20th Century

Francis Foster is a virtual unknown, except for a few facts and the words we can read of his devotion to God. He wrote a handful of songs, among them many which were published in two Sparkling Jewels collections by Samuel Beazley and James Ruebush. Whether “The Great Redeemer” was in either Sparkling Jewels is not clear, but we can be sure many worshippers at the time considered it a treasure. Another source shows the song was listed in at least 10 publications. We may not know from first- or second-hand testimony what Foster’s motivation was for writing, but his emotions are evident in the song’s words. He was ebullient, overwhelmed with what God’s atonement for him meant. No more guilt, no burden, just a ‘sunshine’-filled life. Foster must have been like so many who had come to a realization of his condition after some struggle. What was this crucible, this experience that burned into his consciousness what his destiny might have been except for the Great Redeemer? It wasn’t just a one-time episode for Foster, since he wrote about his devotion in numerous songs. It’ll have to be one among many scores of anonymous or near-anonymous biographies that we’ll hear in eternity.

--http://songscoops.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-redeemer-francis-foster.html