Life Hymn-list
One of the blessings of this pandemic time has been the regular schedule of meetings with the “circle” of folks who participate in writing this blog. We are separated by distance, but we are joined by faith and common interests, and increasingly by friendship. I am grateful for our shared times together. In some ways, those meetings have become “church” for me. Sometimes these zoom meetings are times of mysterious, deep connection that can only be attributed to the Holy Spirit, or times that stimulate theological reflection that surprises us, and surely times that include praising God. So far, though, we haven’t sung together.
When Rev. Beth Long-Higgins challenged us to think of our “life’s playlists” of the music that fills our hearts I faltered a bit. I’m not a skilled musician, though I played the violin through high school, studied piano sporadically throughout childhood and adolescence, and love playing handbells. I can read music well and I remember times when I would page through the hymnal that found its home on our piano, playing my favorites (but only when I was home alone). And I love to sing, a love that began in the children’s choir at a big downtown church and continues today.
Theology set to Music
The hymnals in the racks in front of me in the churches of my life hold much of my playlist. First, those books were an approved distraction from the stretch of quiet time in worship; I could read the hymns and their words when paying attention was hard. Later, I could imagine the tune as I “practiced” picking out the melody on an invisible keyboard. But now, now I know the hymnal to be a treasure of good theology.
I came to the United Church of Christ very soon after The New Century Hymnal was published. The “new” hymnal wasn’t universally welcomed and, in fact, it is still regarded with skepticism in some churches. Some of the additions are unfamiliar to folks, some of the language modifications are difficult to accept, and some of our favorites are missing or so significantly changed we don’t recognize them. But, this new century resource includes some really good theology. If we only long for the playlists from our pasts, we miss out on the singable reminders of an inclusive, expansive, loving God. We might not hear the anthems of folks who took a different path to this shared history and theology.
Secular and Sacred
So, my playlist. Though I might have to include songs that my family would sing in the car (“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” and “The Red River Valley”); I surely would want to give a nod to Neil Diamond and Elton John and The Eagles, musicians who gave me the music of my adolescence; I’d remember the orchestral repertoire from my violin-playing days; and hum the challenging choral music of my young adulthood—the playlist that bears me forward comes from the hymnal for this 21st century. The hymns of my ordination service 12 years ago provide the basis for the much longer list of favorites; these titles bring to mind beloved faithful people, many of whom have died and these hymns form the bedrock of my faith. On ordination day we sang from The New Century Hymnal:
“There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place “(#293)
“Holy, Holy, Holy” (#277)
“Alleluia” (#765)
“Let Us Break Bread Together” (#330)
“I Come With Joy” (#349)
“As We Gather at Your Table” (#332)
“God of Abraham and Sarah” (#20)
“God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again (#81)
And, we heard the music of “Thine Is The Glory,” “Here I Am, Lord,” and “In The Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful.”
The theology of The New Century Hymnal helps me see a God whose love spreads across physical and cultural boundaries, a Christ whose life give us an example to follow and whose death offers us hope in our own deaths, and a Spirit who deepens our understanding of the people and creatures with whom we share this world. So many of us in the United Church of Christ are stirred when we hear the music and lyrics of one of the newer additions to our playlist: “In The Midst of New Dimensions” (TNCH #391) moves the gathered people at General Synod to their feet. The words allow us to make this awe-filled faith our own:
God of rainbow, fiery pillar, leading where the eagles soar,
We your people, ours the journey now and ever, now and ever, now and evermore.
One Caveat
And one caveat balancing the expansive language of today and internal memory of the language of my youth: I am a product of my times. I couldn’t list a life’s playlist without including “Thine Is The Glory”, titled in The New Century Hymnal as “Yours Is The Glory, Resurrected One.” The Easter message of glorious, risen Christ somehow rings a bit hollow without the language of my youth. I understand it, but I still like to sing the old words.
