On the Importance of Singing
By: Rob Lynch, Director of Traditional Music
Psalm 96: 1-3
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Isaiah 42:10
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth
Ephesians 5:18-19
…Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These are just a few of the many times the Bible instructs us to sing unto the Lord. We follow this command each week in church, singing hymns, songs of praise, and anthems. Congregational singing is essential to our worship, and as a newcomer to this church family, I’m learning which hymns are familiar and which are unfamiliar to the congregation.
It should come as no surprise that I LOVE hymns. No one enters this vocation without a deep appreciation for the hundreds of years of hymnody that have shaped the faith of the church throughout its history. Singing as a community helps us connect with those around us, especially in times of sorrow when we may struggle to find our own voices. The voices of others lift us up and provide the support we need.
You may recall last month at the 11 o’clock service a half sheet insert was placed in the bulletins asking for your top three favorite hymns that you’d like to hear in worship. The results of this survey were very informative, and I’d like to share the outcomes with you as well as the implications of the responses.
We received 34 individual responses over the course of the two-week survey period, and of these submissions, there were 73 different hymns named! The ‘most popular’ hymn only received 6 mentions – How Great Thou Art. Most (49) of the 73 hymns only appeared once among the 34 responses.
So, what does this all mean? Well, several things – and they’re all good! First, we have an eclectic taste in hymnody. Songs written hundreds of years ago are just as beloved as some of the latest additions to the hymnal. Among these hymns are songs of mourning, celebration, times of trial, and hope. Whether we first heard a hymn at a funeral of a loved one or on Easter Sunday, these sacred songs are incredibly meaningful to us and have helped shape our faith throughout our lives.
Second, your favorite hymn may be totally unfamiliar to your neighbor, and that is okay! We didn’t start our faith journey knowing hymns like 'Amazing Grace' or 'Blessed Assurance'; we learned them. Does that mean we have to begrudgingly sing a bunch of unfamiliar tunes every week just for the sake of it? Absolutely not. But this survey showed me just how diverse your musical tastes are, and it helps me identify your ‘repertoire’.
This past Sunday, we sang an unfamiliar text – ‘To Mock Your Reign, O Dearest Lord’ to a tune we know most commonly as ‘I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say’. I can assure you that no one in the church identified #285 as their favorite hymn, but when the text of a hymn so perfectly aligns with the gospel message, I cannot help but program it into our worship service. With mentions of the crown of thorns, the purple cloak, and the mockery Christ endured through His crucifixion, the hymn writer perfectly summarized the Gospel message on Sunday morning. And you sang it beautifully! Will there be times we sing completely foreign hymns? Of course. But unfamiliarity cannot be the barrier to learning what may very well become one of your ‘top three’, or deeply move someone in the next pew over.
Finally, this list gives me a wonderful resource of go-to hymns to select each week. As I mentioned, the topics and themes of the submitted hymns are expansive, so hardly a week will go by that someone’s most beloved hymn isn’t being sung. I only ask your patience as I learn what works and what does not work here at Dutilh, and your understanding that what may be a foundational ‘standard’ in your heart may be totally new to someone else. Can you recall an unfamiliar hymn has touched your heart, or where you were when you first heard what is now your favorite hymn? See (and hear) you in church!