Why I Still Love the Hymns

I am of the generation that bears the greatest culpability for the Church moving away from hymns.  This isn’t all bad.  There are many wonderful contemporary songs that speak truth to our souls and lift our eyes to Christ.  Songs like “Blessed Be Your Name,” or one of our new ones, “Your Great Renown,” keep us in our place of humility before an Almighty, Benevolent, Praiseworthy God.  It doesn’t get more worshipful than that.  I love contemporary music, but not to the exclusion of the great hymns of the past.  One of the things I love about Grace Fellowship is the variety we enjoy in the music portion of our services.  As I like to say, “If you don’t like the music come back next week because it will be entirely different.”  When the schedule puts Juli on the piano or Dennis at the podium I know we are going to be singing hymns, and I rejoice for many reasons.  I’ll share just a few of them with you now:

1. Hymns are a great source of sound theology.  Your theology is what you believe to be true about God.  We are all theologians.  It is in our best interest to be good at it.  Hymns help. 

           

Martin Luther’s, “A Mighty Fortress,” is in my estimation the best teaching on demonology to be found outside the pages of your Bible.  “The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him – his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: One little word shall fell him.”  Contrasted with, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.  Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is He – Lord Sabaoth His name.”  Lord Sabaoth is an Old Testament reference meaning, Lord of Hosts, or Lord of Armies.  James borrows this Hebrew phrase to comfort persecuted Christians, reassuring them that “Lord Sabaoth” has heard their prayers.  No song encourages me more in spiritual battle than the theological precision of “A Mighty Fortress.”

            

“I Know Whom I Have Believed” is another powerful hymn that condenses theology into poetry.  “I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin, nor how believing in His Word wrought peace within my heart.”  And then, right out of 2 Timothy 1:12, “But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”  There are mysteries beyond the scope of our intellect.  Good theology is honest about that while grasping firmly to what we know – to what Scripture reveals.  This hymn anchors us to the biblical truth of Christ.

2. Hymns are communal.  Sunday evening a handful of folks came out for our hymn-sing.  The attendees ranged in age from Lucas to Chet Firnekas.  The Grace Fellowship tenure ranged from Joan Crowe to Les Hunt.  Every person present knew every one of the songs.  That would not be possible during a Praise and Worship jam-fest (as fun as that would be!).  Across generational and geographical lines hymns draw us together in a way that is truly unique.

            

Hymns speak the language of the Church.  Joel helped me lead during the hymn-sing and it was obvious that in his 9 years of life he’s picked up at least a cursory knowledge of many hymns.  He can walk into any church and know the hymns.  He can go with me to Amie Holt and sing along with 90-year-old saints who can only mouth the words.  When he is 90 and residing in an assisted living facility he’ll be singing “In the Garden” while his great-grandkids groan under the weight of an ancient hymn, “Grandpa, that song is so old!”  But, it still speaks the language of the church.  Always has, always will.  “Blessed be the tie that binds.”  Few things do that more than music; no music does that more than the hymns.

3. Hymns have stood the test of time.  And Can it Be, Come Thou Fount, It is Well.  Isaac Watts, John and Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby.  These names will be with the Church for eternity – most likely quite literally.  This is not to say that “In Christ Alone” won’t stick around for generations to come.  It is to say that a true classic, a true great hymn of the faith, will make its way into the annals of hymnody and your great-great-grandchildren will find themselves humming it around the house.

            

Many contemporary songs that were popular 5 years ago have faded away.  We’ll be singing a thousand variations of “Amazing Grace” for another thousand years.  I tend to think that “Blessed be Your Name” is here to stay, while “Jesus, You’re My Super Hero” has just about ran its course.

            

The reason why #2 is true is because #1 is true, which is also why #3 is true.  A song with powerful lyrics will find itself sung by the faithful who will pass it on to grateful generations to come.  “Be Thou My Vision” will never be trumped.  These timeless words, transcending generational and cultural categories, speak to Christians of every age.  “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.” 

What are your favorite hymns and why?  What would you add to this list of reasons why you love the hymns?  

Hell?

I read "Love Wins," by Rob Bell.  Everyone who reads that book has a response.  They either love it or hate it, but no one I've talked to shrugs and says, "ah, it was OK."  Everyone has an emotional response.

I, too, have a response.  I don't want to take the time write, nor do I ask you to read, a lengthy review on the book.  A web search will yield better results than I could piece together.  Rather, this is simply my response.

There are two basic lenses through which people read the Bible.  Everyone interprets Scripture with Scripture, and everyone interprets Scripture with life.  Everyone admits to the first statement; most deny the second, but without doubt everyone interprets Scripture through those two lenses.

There are two basic groups of people reading the Bible.  Those who accept it as supremely authoritative  over all things, and those who view it as a good book of stories about God and morals.  People from both camps exist in and out of "the Church."  People from both camps preach, teach, and write books about the Bible.  Most of the time they don't identify themselves as belonging to either camp.

The first group (for lack of a better term we'll call them "Bible-centered") begins with the clarity of Scripture.  The clear passages ("by grace are you saved through faith") are used to interpret the fuzzy passages ("sell all you have, give the money to the poor, then you'll inherit eternal life") and troubling circumstances of life (like when kind, old grandma died who never confessed Christ).  We leave the possibility open that she confessed Christ in those final moments.  There is always room for one more criminal on a cross.  But, ultimately, Scripture is allowed to speak more loudly than our wants and longings.  It begins with Scripture and seeks to align man with God's revealed will.

The second group (for lack of better term we'll call them "philanthropic") emphasizes the ambiguity of Scripture.  The fuzzy passages ("sell all you have, give the money to the poor, then you'll inherit eternal life") are used to create pause before the clear passages ("by grace are you saved through faith"), providing space for comfort in the troubling circumstances of life (like when kind, old grandma died who never confessed Christ).  One may say, "Grandma didn't know Jesus by name, but there never was a more Christ-like person to grace this earth.  We'll see Grandma again in Heaven one day."  The meaning of the Bible is interpreted through the lenses of life and Scripture from the basis of our wants and longings.  It is philanthropic, it is man-centered, and reads the Bible accordingly.  The Bible is a helpful source, but what settles the hard issues is what we think mankind needs.

In "Love Wins" Rob Bell, if nothing else, demonstrates that he reads Scripture through his lenses sitting behind a philanthropic desk.  The question dominating the book is, "what kind of God do you want to believe in?"  The difficult circumstances of life and fuzzy portions of Scripture repeatedly create pause in front of the clear warnings from even Christ Himself, like, "fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.  Yes, I tell you fear Him!"  God never asks us what kind of God we want to believe in - what kind of God we think He should be.  Rather, He lovingly reveals Himself to be a God of love and wrath, power and mercy, forgiveness and punishment - a God to be feared and worshipped, loved and obeyed.  He is the Lion and the Lamb.

The final response to "Love Wins" I leave to the individual reader.  But, I caution you, interpret God on His terms.