The other week at LunchBreak our planned speaker couldn’t
make it so – panic (at least for 20 seconds!) - what were we to do?! The answer (not for the first time) was to
have twenty minutes of favourite hymns.
As people tucked into lunch I made the announcement that I was open for hymn
suggestions. What began as a trickle
felt like a torrent at the end as more and more folk came up to me with a
request.
The hymns we sang last week were these (all chosen by
folk at LunchBreak)
Lord for the years
One more step
Be thou my vision
In heavenly love abiding
The old rugged cross
Love divine
All things bright and beautiful
Dear Lord and Father of mankind
How great thou art
It became our very own Songs of Praise and I suspect our list of top hymns is much the same as theirs. Many people said they had made their choice on the basis of a wedding or funeral – when the moment matters we often say or hear the important thing through this wonderful blending of music and words – the hymn.
I’m told that at my old college, during Wednesday Chapel, the students ‘learn’ a hymn a week. That’s because most Baptist ordinands these days come from ‘Worship Song’ congregations rather than ‘Hymnic’ ones.
The great strength of a hymn is that it has space to build up a theme verse by verse – and also by its very nature, as each verse progresses, we get to know and relax into the tune.
I’m a great believer in hymns – not simply because I love singing them in the context of corporate worship but because I believe they often reflect back to us, in words we can remember, the foundational aspirations of faith.
The other week, after morning service, one of the congregation said ‘thank you’ for some of the ‘modern’ hymns that had been on the service sheet. She was aware that not everyone might have shared her view, but told me she had enjoyed these hymns because they had been in ‘our’ language – using everyday words and phrases.
Lord for the years
One more step
Be thou my vision
In heavenly love abiding
The old rugged cross
Love divine
All things bright and beautiful
Dear Lord and Father of mankind
How great thou art
It became our very own Songs of Praise and I suspect our list of top hymns is much the same as theirs. Many people said they had made their choice on the basis of a wedding or funeral – when the moment matters we often say or hear the important thing through this wonderful blending of music and words – the hymn.
I’m told that at my old college, during Wednesday Chapel, the students ‘learn’ a hymn a week. That’s because most Baptist ordinands these days come from ‘Worship Song’ congregations rather than ‘Hymnic’ ones.
The great strength of a hymn is that it has space to build up a theme verse by verse – and also by its very nature, as each verse progresses, we get to know and relax into the tune.
I’m a great believer in hymns – not simply because I love singing them in the context of corporate worship but because I believe they often reflect back to us, in words we can remember, the foundational aspirations of faith.
The other week, after morning service, one of the congregation said ‘thank you’ for some of the ‘modern’ hymns that had been on the service sheet. She was aware that not everyone might have shared her view, but told me she had enjoyed these hymns because they had been in ‘our’ language – using everyday words and phrases.
Thank God the art of hymn writing isn’t dead – indeed in
church on Sunday we’re going to be singing a communion hymn from one of my
favourite hymn writers, Martin Leckebusch – who I note is one year younger than
me!
Best wishes,
Best wishes,
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