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"Pass It On” was written in 1969 during a creative collaboration between Kurt Kaiser and fellow church music pioneer Ralph Carmichael for a youth musical called Tell It Like It Is. The goal of that production was to connect young people with the message of Jesus through accessible, contemporary music — a big deal in a time when traditional church hymns didn’t always click with the rising generation.After reviewing the songs they’d written, Kaiser and Carmichael realized the musical needed a closer — something like a modern version of the classic hymn “Just As I Am.” One Sunday evening, while sitting in his den by the fireplace with the embers still glowing, Kaiser had that lightning-bolt thought: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going…” — and the rest of the lyrics flowed in about 20 minutes. His wife Pat even helped with some imagery in the final verse.The song uses simple, folksy imagery — sparks, springtime, birds, and mountains — to reflect a deep spiritual truth: Experiencing God’s love naturally leads us to share it with others. It’s essentially a musical echo of the Great Commission — that once we’ve experienced Christ, we pass on that joy and hope. |
