Today I am recommending that you read an article that I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's entitled What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymals. The author is Tim Challies, a Toronto blogger, book reviewer and pastor.
I love corporate singing, but a lot of people, I guess, don't. The other night here at the community where we are staying for the winter, we had a Christmas potluck followed by an acapella Carol sing. They passed out carol sheets provided by the local newspaper. (These actually had the music and not just the words. I was impressed!)
But the carol sing soon deteriorated into people talking amongst themselves, or getting up, or pouring more glasses of wine. At the end of one song I realized that the only people actually singing were me and the woman beside me, who had a beautiful soprano voice. We ended up looking at each other and laughing.
What I miss about the hymnbooks is the actual music, but then I may be different because I have studied music - piano in my childhood, guitar and a few voice lessons. The actual musical notes are important to me. But we have also left the days when every child had piano lessons.
Challes writes that he's not altogether sure we 'should' go back to hymnals, that somehow screens are here to stay. It would be like going back to no TVs, iPads, Kindles and Kobos (and I love reading from my Kobo!), but there is much we have lost and are losing.
There are a few takeaways here, though. I really appreciate what he says about church worship sometimes being more about 'enthusiasm', than actually worship. I love the quiet pews, the stained glass, the pipe organ. I like sitting there and not having to 'do' anything, but just to "be'' there, resting.
But then, sometimes I think I must be turning into a fuddy duddy!
I love corporate singing, but a lot of people, I guess, don't. The other night here at the community where we are staying for the winter, we had a Christmas potluck followed by an acapella Carol sing. They passed out carol sheets provided by the local newspaper. (These actually had the music and not just the words. I was impressed!)
But the carol sing soon deteriorated into people talking amongst themselves, or getting up, or pouring more glasses of wine. At the end of one song I realized that the only people actually singing were me and the woman beside me, who had a beautiful soprano voice. We ended up looking at each other and laughing.
What I miss about the hymnbooks is the actual music, but then I may be different because I have studied music - piano in my childhood, guitar and a few voice lessons. The actual musical notes are important to me. But we have also left the days when every child had piano lessons.
Challes writes that he's not altogether sure we 'should' go back to hymnals, that somehow screens are here to stay. It would be like going back to no TVs, iPads, Kindles and Kobos (and I love reading from my Kobo!), but there is much we have lost and are losing.
There are a few takeaways here, though. I really appreciate what he says about church worship sometimes being more about 'enthusiasm', than actually worship. I love the quiet pews, the stained glass, the pipe organ. I like sitting there and not having to 'do' anything, but just to "be'' there, resting.
But then, sometimes I think I must be turning into a fuddy duddy!
I would love to know your thoughts on this.
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