Do you enjoy singing hymns? By hymns I mean songs of praise and worship which invite participation by the gathered community of the faithful.
Yesterday I heard about a Canadian hymn contest sponsored by the Pax Christi chorale in Toronto. Unfortunately the interview came on the day the contest was coming to its culmination in a concert in the city. If we had been aware earlier it would have been well worth attending. The chorale performed what they chose as the top eighteen submissions from about seventy. Obviously hymn writing is alive and well in this country.
These are, of course, new hymns which are often not appreciated by regular worshippers. Some folk are less than bashful about stating their preference for older hymns. There are great traditional hymns of the faith which have helped shaped our theology. Some of the "moldy goldies" are not so great. While they are familiar and may be very singable the theology leave a lot to be desired.
The same can be true of newer hymns and choruses. I have been in contemporary services where the music is just plain awful with tunes and words that are a nightmare. At the same time there are so many new hymns which are wonderful and speak to the time we live in.
Yesterday our worship supported the International Day of Action in response to climate change. We sang Morning Has Broken and For the Beauty of the Earth, two hymns of praise to the Creator. We also sang Touch the Earth Lightly which calls us to responsibility as Christ's followers. Old and new hymns with a powerful message.
What are your thoughts about hymns? Do you like to stick to the traditional ones? Are you impatient that we don't sing more of the newer music?
2 comments:
I love to sing hymns - both the 'moldy oldies' and the new. But having been active in 6 different congregation - I have discovered that each congregation has its own traditional hymns and hymn tunes (Away in a Manger or For the Beauty of the Earth for example). For me, the hymn invites and calls forth movement of my body or foot or hand or fingers - my body is very seldom still. Music involves my whole body - mind, voice, hearing, body, and spirit. One thing that I really appreciate about conferences, retreats, and presbytery gatherings is that in those gatherings, I hear and become familiar with the new hymns and or music. It can be difficult to introduce new hymns to a congregation, especially if the congregation is not a singing congregation or has no choir to lead in the teaching; therefore hard for the congregation to learn the the new hymn. I think that is what I miss most about many of the radio stations today - the lack of singable songs or songs that one can hum long after the music has stopped. There isn't some part of the day that I recall a part of a hymn. I believe our early belief system is instilled not through the lessons or crafts or stories or sermons (sorry David) that we were taught but through the songs we sang - whether in church or church school. We 'rise and shine' to sing that 'our God is an awesome God' and to tell others that 'Jesus loves us because the Bible tells us so'.
It's true that different congregations have different favourite hymns and tunes. Sometimes an individual in a congregation swears that the tune they like for a hymn is the one the congregation loves,then someone else makes the same claim for another tune.
I agree that attending other events and worship in other denominations introduces us to new music worthy of our attention.
And I'm with you, Susan, in the way that music speaks to us in a unique way. It has been suggested that music is another means of expression, another language in the way sign language is a different means of expression.
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