Love those classics

Every once in a while, at my former church, we’d break out the old (and I mean old literally) hymnbooks for a Wednesday evening hymn sing. People would call out the numbers of their favorite hymns to the songleader and we’d all turn to the page and sing the old favorites. As the evening went on the yelling got louder and more competitive as folks feared that we’d run out of time before getting to their favorite hymn. It was interesting to see “newbies,” and the younger generations at those events. They’d grown up after many of those hymns passed from favor, replaced by more contemporary hymns and tune, praise songs (don’t get me started) or revisionist PC versions that stripped the elegance, meaning, and dignity from the text.

But, I rant… The point is, I was always taken at how the newbies would take to those old hymns. Rather than be put off, bored, or dismissive, they could not get enough of the experience of being drawn into the corporate memory of a church a generation removed. Even for the teenagers in the room, the evening of corporate hymn singing from those musty old hymnbooks ended too soon.

It’s no secret that music and hymn texts teach. And corporate singing also “teaches” in the modality of corporate formation. It’s worth thinking about what it is we are teaching in and through the corporate music and text we choose for our congregational members.

Here’s an interesting interpretation of an old favorite, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” from Sufjan Stevens. I don’t really get the animals (an interesting juxtaposition to say the least), but the photographs are beautiful and he’s retained the original text. Enjoy.