Hymns #2

         Last week I presented a blog which provided one man's opinion of what we lost when we lost hymns.  This week I want to share the other side, by the same blogger, what we've gained when we lost our hymns.  This was written by Tim Challies on April 18, 2017.

         A few weeks ago I wrote an article titled What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals and was rather surprised to see 300,000 people stop by to read it! I meant to point out that there are consequences in shifting from one medium to another - in this case, shifting from hymnals to PowerPoint projection. (I use "PowerPoint" to stand in for all forms of projection.) It is true of every new technology that it brings benefits and drawbacks. Neither hymnals nor PowerPoint are exempt from the rule.

          Where that article focused on what we lost when we shifted from hymnals to projection, today I want to focus on what we gained. When our churches turned away from hymnals to instead sing lyrics projected on a screen, here is some of what we gained.

          We gained immediacy. Not all of the good songs are old songs. In fact, today we are seeing a great resurgence in hymnody that has generated many wonderful new songs. There are some that are almost too good not to sing. Yet hymnals made us wait years or even decades before we could add them to our services. "In Christ Alone" became a modern day staple in part because PowerPoint made it so easy to add it to our services. Other songs like "He Will Hold Me Fast" or "Before the Throne of God Above" are worthy of singing and of standing the test of time, but can only easily be sung by churches that are not reliant on hymnals. PowerPoint projection reduces the lag between great new songs and updated hymnals.

         We gained posture. Hymnals forced us into a particular physical posture. We had to hold the hymnal in one hand (or even in both hands) and look down at the words. Thus hymnal posture was stiff and fixed. PowerPoint projects words onto an elevated screen and asks us to hold nothing in our hands. Thus PowerPoint posture is open and free which may be a superior posture for worship, and especially for worship that is physically expressively - something the Bible seems to allow or even advocate. It is difficult to raise your hands in worship while clutching a three-pound, five-hundred-page hymnal. It is even more difficult to clap your hands.

         We gained variety. There is undoubtedly a hazy line between a hymn and a chorus. "The Gospel Song" is probably not the kind of song that would make it into many hymnals, yet it has sound lyrics and can be a sweet addition to worship. There are many other choruses that do not fit the "hymnal mold" even though they are biblical, purposeful, and singable. To a significant degree, hymnals promoted certain kinds of songs while holding off others. Yet the Bible gives us freedom to worship in "songs, hymns, and spiritual songs", to praise God in every variety of song. PowerPoint helps us do this.

         We gained portability. In many places in the world church buildings are forbidden, rare, or unreasonably expensive. That is exactly the case here in Toronto where most new congregations have to rent space in schools, libraries, or community centers. Transporting several hundred hymnals to a building is difficult when compared to simply transporting a laptop and projector. There is a convenience and portability to PowerPoint that is missing in hymnals. Not only that, but the cost is lower. Two hundred and fifty hymnals will cost around $6,000; a laptop and projector can be had for a fraction of that.

         We gained spontaneity. PowerPoint allows a kind of spontaneity that may not be present when relying on hymnals. At a recent engagement I quoted a song's lyrics in my sermon, and with a click or two, the worship leader was able to immediately add it as the song of response. This would not have been possible if that church had used hymnals (unless, of course, that song had been in the hymnal).

         We gained service. Our hymnals reflect a vetting process where hundreds of thousands of hymns were whittled down to just a few hundred. This happened by generations of Christians fumbling their way through awful hymns so they could, over time, settle on the few excellent ones. Remember, we honor Charles Wesley for the ten or twenty of his hymns we continue to sing today, and gladly forget the other 5,980. We have the opportunity to serve future generations by singing a variety of today's songs and, as we do so, filtering the good from the bad and the best from the rest.

         The reality is that neither hymnals nor PowerPoint are entirely good or entirely bad. Both have benefits and both have drawbacks (which is what we should expect for any technology or innovation that exists in a sinful world). What is important is that we properly weigh and assess both in the light of our context and decide which will best serve our local church.

Hymns #1

          Probably the biggest church controversy in recent years is the battle between those who love hymns and those who love worship choruses.   And sometimes this has even become nasty.  People have left their churches over these differences.  There are strong opinions on both sides.

          Now I do not frequently use blogs written by others, but a recent posting on Facebook took me to blogs by Tim Challies.  He has written two very interesting blogs on what we have lost and what we have gained when we "lost" our hymns.  Unfortunately the posting in Facebook only showed the one side, what we have lost.

         So I have decided to reproduce both of his blogs.  This week we will look at what he thinks we have lost.  Next week we'll look at what he thinks we have gained.  Then you can either keep or change your opinion.  I'm not going to express mine.

         Here is what Challies wrote on March 29, 2017.

         I don't think we should go back to using hymnals. But I do think there's value in considering what we lost when, over the course of a relatively short period of time, we gave up hymnals for PowerPoint projection. Not all of us, mind you, but most of us. It's worth considering because it helpfully shows what we stand to lose when we switch from one media to another, and especially when we do so quickly and without due consideration.

         If we were to go back in time twenty or thirty years, we would find that most churches had hymnals. They had hymnals because it was the best way of providing each member of the congregation with a copy of the songs. You'd hear it in every church: "Take out your hymnal and turn to hymn 154 …" And then hymnals went the way of the dodo and we began to look instead to words projected on a screen. Here is some of what we lost along the way.

         We lost an established body of songs. Hymnals communicated that a church had an established collection of songs. This, in turn, communicated that its songs were vetted carefully and added to its repertoire only after careful consideration. After all, great songs are not written every day and their worth is proven only over time. Therefore, new hymns would be chosen carefully and added to new editions of the hymnal only occasionally. Churches would update their hymnals, and, therefore, their established body of songs, only once every ten or fifteen years.

         We lost a deep knowledge of our songs. When we removed the hymnal, we gained the ability to add new songs to our repertoire whenever we encounter one we deem worthy. And we do - we add new songs all the time. As we add new songs with greater regularity, we sing old songs with less frequency. This reduces our familiarity with our songs so that today we have far fewer of them fixed in our minds and hearts. Few congregations could sing even the greatest hymns without that PowerPoint screen.

         We lost the ability to do harmonies. Hymnody grew up at a time when instrumentation took a back seat to the voice. Hymns were most often written so they could be sung a cappella or with minimal instrumentation. For that reason, hymnals almost invariably included the music for both melody and harmonies and congregations learned to sing the parts. The loss of the hymnal and the associated rise of the worship band has reduced our ability to harmonize and, in that way, to sing to the fullest of our abilities.

         It often seems like all we want from the congregation is their enthusiasm.  We lost the ability to sing skillfully. As congregations have lost their knowledge of their songs, they have lost the ability to sing them well. We tend to compensate for our poorly - sung songs by cranking up the volume of the musical accompaniment. The loss of the voice has given rise to the gain of the amplifier. This leads to our music being dominated by a few instrumentalists and perhaps a pair of miked - up vocalists while the larger congregation plays only a meager role. In fact, it often seems like all we want from the congregation is their enthusiasm.

         We lost the ability to have the songs in our homes. Hymnals usually lived at the church, resting from Monday to Saturday in the little pockets on the back of the pews. But people also bought their own and took them home so the family could have that established body of songs there as well. Families would often sing together as part of their family worship. It is easy to imagine a family singing "It Is Well With My Soul" after eating dinner together, but almost impossible to imagine them singing, "Oceans."

         It is probably too late to go back to the hymnal. I am not at all convinced we ought to. But it is still worth considering what we lost along the way and how congregational singing has been utterly transformed by what may appear to have been a simple and practical switch in the media. That little change from book to screen changed nearly everything.

          Now to hear the other side, come back next week.

An Extravagant Lover

         At times I come upon blogs written by others that have encouraged me or state things in better ways than I can.  I feel that some of those are worth sharing with you.  One of those, "God Is An Extravagant Lover in Your Suffering" was written by a Rick Thomas.
         When I am going through difficult times I must often remind myself of Ephesians 2:10. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."   That verse compliments what Rick has said below.

          I need to know that my frustrated hopes and dreams do not mean that God is not in my story. Contrary to my "man-centered thinking," the good Lord is choosing to write a story that is different from the one I expected.

          If God is with you, which He is, you must understand that He is doing good things for you. Though you may not perceive His mysterious will for your life (Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 55:8-9), what He is choosing to write for you will turn out for your good (Romans 8:28), His fame, and the benefit of many people. The Lord's will for you is not about knowing all the facts, but about trusting the Author of those facts.

         There are times in your life that are excruciatingly painful, and there is nothing you can do to alleviate the suffering. You cannot pray it away, manipulate it away, or wish it away. A positive mental attitude will only last a day or two, but you soon return to the pit of sorrow and anguish.

         It is in those moments that the reality of "life gone bad" settles deep into your soul, and the current circumstances begin to define who you are. It is in those moments when you need a significant realignment of the soul.

         Though the fog is not lifting and there is no anticipation it will ever rise above the trouble in your life, you must rest in the assurance that God has not abandoned you. God is working His plans into your life.

        Your journey can go no other way than the way He has predetermined for you. It is the Lord who orders your steps (Proverbs 16:9). Before you ever entered into your suffering, God was there (Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:3-10). He was working, planning, strategizing, and implementing things in such a way that would forever change you.

         He is not doing this because He is harsh, distant, or uncaring. He is doing this precisely because He is kind, with you, and loves you. The Lord's love is more extravagant than you could ever imagine. When Job reflected upon these profound things, it caused a long reflective pause.

         "But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me, yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face."– Job 23:13-17

          God is in your darkness, which removes the terror. Talk to Him today, even if it is only a faint heart cry. Bear your soul to your heavenly Father. Live in the truth that He is finishing what He began in you (Philippians 1:6). God is an extravagant lover in your suffering.

How Are You?

          One of my pet peeves is the greeting, "how are you?"  It bothers me because probably 95% of those who ask the question, usually in passing, don't really want to know.  And generally I don't want to answer them anyway.           
         During the past couple of years the Lord has given me numerous physical challenges and I don't really want to talk about them to most people.  Not only does it take too much time to give a true answer, but it makes me sound like a complainer.  And who wants to talk to a complainer?  I know I don't.  So when they stick around for a reply I generally say "I''m hanging in there", and that seems to be enough.  In fact many just answer, "Good", even though that isn't really what I meant.  And the conversation is ended.
          But I am finding that I am not the only one who feels that way.  I recently came upon a response written by a Rev. James L. Snyder.  I thought I would share his comments from his article "How am I?  Let me Tell You!"  So enjoy!  (That comment also bothers me when a waitress says that.)
          An interesting aspect to people is their proclivity toward hypocrisy. By that I mean we say one thing but we really do not mean it or it does not really apply to us personally.
          I was complaining about this to the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage this past week.  "Why is it," I said most curiously, "people really don't mean what they say?"  She responded by saying, "I always mean what I say."   Being the kind of husband that I am, I refused to contradict her reply. Therefore, I am not referring to her in these comments. People just don't say what they mean.
         For the past month, I've been having issues with shingles and nerve pain all the way down my right arm. It's very painful and I hope it goes away soon. Let it be clear that pain and me are not friends. The sooner the pain leaves, the better it's going to be for me.
         But I digress. My condition has been a very clear focus of my life these days. After all, it's my pain that I have to live with every day.   It happened just the other day when somebody that I was passing on my way into Publix said to me, "Hi, how you doing?" Well, I thought to myself, he asked, so I begin to tell him about my condition and all of the aspects associated with it. Within a few moments I could tell he was not very much interested in how I was doing.  I continued with all of the details and then he suddenly looked at his watch and said, "That's interesting, but I am late for an appointment and I have to leave right now."
         Well, okay, but after all, he asked the question I didn't. If he wasn't interested in how I was doing, why did he ask?   See how people say things they don't really mean?  This happened to me several times with people I had never met before. They asked the question about how I was doing, and when I began telling them how I was doing, they had no real interest in how I was doing.  That rather frustrated me. How I was doing was a very important aspect of my life and sharing my pain was someone else was something I wanted to do. However, nobody was interested in my pain.
         It brought me down to a point of discouragement. I had to stay home for several days because of the condition I was in. I could not drive and so I stayed home. Then something different opened up for me.  As I was sitting there, reveling in my displeasure and discomfort the telephone rang.  I answered the phone and it was somebody trying to sell me something. They began by saying, "Hello, how are you doing today?"
         That is all I needed to hear. I began to tell him exactly how I was doing with all of the pain and discomfort I was experiencing. I went on and on even though several times he tried to interrupt my little speech. He asked and so I was telling.   Three minutes into my little speech, I heard the telephone go "click" and there was nobody on the other end of the line. I sat back in my chair and smiled rather deeply. Why did this person asked me how I was doing if he wasn't interested in it?
         It was quite an afternoon, I'll tell you that. I don't know if the word got out that I was sick and at home, but the phone rang constantly all afternoon. Everybody asked me, "Hello, how are you doing?" And, I told them how I was.   All that afternoon I dominated the conversation of every telephone solicitor that called. I never allowed them to get a word in edge wise because they asked me how I was doing and I was going to tell them.
         My wife came home from the office and saw me smiling.  "What in the world," she said as she walked towards me, "are you all smiling about?"   "All afternoon," I explained to her, "people were calling me asking me how I was. And so I spent all afternoon telling these people exactly how I was." I then chuckled. She just looked at me and then broke out laughing herself. I found out the telemarketers are not really interested in "How you are." All they're interested in is selling something I really don't need. But I enjoyed the day telling them how I was doing.
           That's the way it is with most people today. They say one thing but they really do not mean it. They do not want to know how I am doing. It is just something they politely say when they do not know what else to say.
         David understood this when he wrote, "They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak" (Psalm 12:2).  How often does this happen in our daily life.  Then David said this about himself, "My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding" (Psalm 49:3).
          As I was sitting in my chair nursing my pain, I came to at least one conclusion. I am not going to ask people how they are unless I really want to know how they are.

          Thank you Rev. Snyder for sharing my thoughts.
          So how are you today?