Posts Tagged music

Hooray for the Hymnal by David Garrard

Hooray for the Hymnal

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Several months ago, I began using my old 1956 Baptist Hymnal as part of my devotions. I started at the very beginning and am gradually working my way through. I just read the text — singing along if I know the tune, which I most often do — and let God speak to me through the words.

This has been a wonderful experience. So many of these hymns have texts that are inspired and incredibly insightful. It’s a shame we don’t sing them more.

In the hymnal’s Preface, then SBC Sunday School Board Executive Secretary-Treasurer James L. Sullivan wrote, “In this music we find expressed every feeling and emotion, every truth and doctrine of our Christian faith. As we sing, we not only express what is in our hearts, but we grow in Christian character and are strengthened in our faith.”

That certainly has proved true for me as I have revisited hymns I first heard and sang as a child.

My experience prompted a new feature on my Facebook page which I decided to call “Hooray for the Hymnal!” On occasion (not every day), I highlight a hymn and call attention to part of the text. I might include a comment or two, but for the most part, I just let the hymns speak for themselves.

As many will remember, No. 1 in the Baptist Hymnal is “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It leads off the General Worship section and is specifically tagged as a hymn of adoration and praise. The words were written by Reginald Heber and the tune by John Dykes. I’ve always been partial to verse three:

Holy, holy, holy!  Tho the darkness hide thee,
Tho the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see;
Only thou are holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in power, in love and purity.

As one who has more of earthly life behind me than ahead, I resonated with, and was encouraged by, the last verse of No. 29, “Day Is Dying in the West” (words by Mary A. Lathbury, tune by William F. Sherwin):

When forever from our sight
Pass the stars, the day, the night,
Lord of angels, on our eyes
Let eternal morning rise,
And shadows end

Verse two of No. 54, “God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand” (words by Daniel C. Roberts, tune by George W. Warren) has given me a new way to think about and pray for my country:

Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by thee our lot is cast;
Be thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy word our law, thy paths our chosen way.

And I’ve always loved No. 59, “This Is My Father’s World” (words by Maltbie B. Babcock, tune by Franklin Sheppard).  Verse three of this beautiful hymn reminds me that even when it seems the entire world has lost its way, God is still in control:

This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget,
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.

With 553 entries (including the Amens!) I’ve got a long way to go, but the journey already has been rewarding and has brought new insights as well as good memories. And the response has been wonderful. I have received messages from folks who have dug out their own copies, found copies that belonged to parents and even purchased copies on eBay.

So hooray for the hymnal! I invite you to find a copy, join me in this adventure, and allow these great songs of faith to speak to you in the same way they are speaking to me — again.

David Garrard

*David Garrard is a professional magician who lives in Louisville, Ky. He was the longtime minister to children at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville until his recent retirement

 

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An Interfaith Prayer in a Time of Pandemic- The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson

Washing my hands, reminds me of the waters of Chautauqua Lake,
Which reminds me of the majestic tolling of the Miller Bell Tower,
Which reminds me of the many kinds of music that fills the air and our hearts,
Which reminds me of the laughter of children and the beauty of our gardens,
Which reminds me of the beauty of different faces, complexions, generations,
and faiths,
Which reminds me of dance and art, being challenged by different perspectives,
and the restorative power of prayer.
Which reminds me of how sacred everything feels at our beloved Chautauqua,
Which reminds me to give thanks to the Holy One for all these blessings we share.
Be with us, Divine One, in this time of anxiety,
Comfort those who are infected, soothe all of us who are affected,
Strengthen and protect the medical caregivers,
Embolden our leaders with strength and wisdom,
Give us holy permission to do what is best in each moment, even if that’s
“hunker down.”
Renew our hope for a world —
With less anxiety and more joy,
With less “me first,” and more “no, please, after you!”
With less fear, and more love.
And bring us safely home, back to the Chautauqua which was, and is,
and will be.
Amen.
—The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson
Vice President of Religion and Senior Pastor
Chautauqua Institution
March 18, 2020

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Ordinary Grace – Jo Turner

The Daily Cup
 Jun 21, 2017 08:54 pm

According to the Church calendar, we are in the season known as Ordinary Time. The 28 weeks are marked by … well, not much. No angels and wise men, empty tomb, tongues of flame, no ascending Messiah. It’s not called ordinary because it’s boring, however. The name actually comes from the root word “ordinal;” we are counting the weeks following Pentecost, all the way to Advent.

I’m more than comfortable with it just being plain old ordinary, though. It’s Holy Spirit season, when we are reminded that God is with us exactly where we are, not just in mountaintop experiences. I don’t know about you, but I don’t live a life of banners and fanfares, and life certainly is not always a celebration. Loving those enriching holy days as we do, we now have the opportunity to be Spirit-fed in our everyday living. Particularly here in Washington, we are often braced for the next dramatic turn of events. We may miss the gift of uneventful days to recharge in every way, including spiritually.

I left my office early today. Not in the best if moods, I was struggling, so I came home and scrubbed my kitchen floor. And I mean down-on-hands-and-knees scrubbing. In the silence of an empty house, applying myself to a simple task that humans have done for thousands of years, I started to feel at peace. As often happens, a bit of music started playing in my head as I worked.

From Bernstein’s Mass:
Sing God a simple song:
Lauda, Laudē
Make it up as you go along:
Lauda, Laudē
Sing like you like to sing.
God loves all simple things,
For God is the simplest of all,
For God is the simplest of all.

Whether we are scrubbing floors or sipping morning coffee or waiting for sleep at night, we can be quietly vulnerable to the workings of the Spirit. God longs to be in relationship with us, it is indeed that simple. Ordinary Time is a gift. Let us always keep an empty chair at our soul’s kitchen table for the heavenly guest. Our ordinary lives can be transformed.

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Songwriterter sees good news in declining role of church music.

JEFF BRUMLEY | MAY 24, 2017 Baptists News Global

Some people were surprised — and worried — to learn from that sermons are a much stronger draw to church attendance than music. And it was worse than that for music lovers. The Gallup presented a list of motivations Americans give for going to worship, and music was solidly in last place. But with a month to reflect on the discovery, Christian musician, songwriter and minister Kyle Matthews is not worried. Far from it. “I think it might be good news,” Matthews said during a recent conference call. “It indicates people are more hungry for substance than we give them for,” said Matthews, minister of worship arts at First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C. Matthews has had his eye on Christian music, and what churches want and don’t want, for a long time. he was a artist and a songwriter for publishing companies in Nashville, Tenn. He’s won a Dove Award and other Christian songwriting achievements. 38 37 an April poll survey FaithSoaring Churches Learning Community credit For more than 20 years recording FEATURED We are reader supported DONATE N S EARCH ews Opinion Curated More i 5/24/2017 Songwriter sees ‘good news’ in declining role of church music – Baptist News Global https://baptistnews.com/article/songwriter­sees­good­news­declining­role­church­music/#.WSXcH2grI2x 2/7 Kyle Matthews But Matthews said he left the industry for its focus on profit at the expense of providing theological education and Christian formation. Through his current church ministry, he pursues worship songwriting that places liturgy above entertainment. But music that provides inspiring, substantive lyrics does not sell in a praise­and­worship world, Matthews said. That’s why the Gallup poll’s findings are so interesting, he told other ministers on the conference call. The Christian music industry, he said, is made up of people who are trying to serve a market. “They are business people, not theologians, historians or music educators. They are business people.” And what sells is music with shallow lyrics with little or no theological content. Matthews said he’s known songwriters and performers who are unfamiliar with Scripture. As a result, music has become “wallpaper instead of furniture” in worship. Rather than working to instruct Christians in the faith, contemporary worship music is filled with mantras and clichés designed to alter moods, Matthews said. That kind of music comes and goes because it’s become disposable. “I don’t think people are allowed to get to know church music well enough to interact with it.” But the industry isn’t the problem, Matthews added. “If the church would demand a different product, they would get a different product.” It’s also the people in the pews. The industry is “responding to what the public is asking for.” That has been praise music which is entertaining and happy, and avoids darkness and difficult concepts, he said. “It can become a form of escapism rather than a form of encounter with God.” It’s why the April Gallup poll could be good news. It may signal that people in the pews may want something more. That could be why sermons are at the top of the list, and contemporary Christian music, with its mantras and clichés, is at the bottom.

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