February 26, 2008
Hymns, ya, um, but, ya, ok.
Posted by Bridget under Worship Confessional, worship leading | Tags: hymns |Sore subject for me: hymns.
This last Sunday one of the older ladies came in during worship and blurted out (loud) “There isn’t even ONE hymn in here!” I just wanted to die. We are such a small church and that was so loud that it really threw me. I felt like I was ten at my piano recital in 5th grade all over again. Gee Whiz. You can’t please all the people.
HYMNS: I’m not Fernando Ortega, Crystal Lewis, or Chris Tomlin. They are some of the most difficult songs to play and sing ever written. I glean what I can, but I wasn’t raised in the church so I didn’t grow up with hymns.
So I try. It seems that even if I transpose the hymn or try one of Chris Tomlin’s clever arrangements, I have one of the older hymn singers telling me I did it wrong.
I think, at least where I am, that if the hymns aren’t sung exactly their way, then it doesn’t count.
Ya. I try to learn hymns, but they are so rangy!
I really wanted to learn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” to sing at Easter, but I couldn’t find a good key. I also wanted to attempt Tommy Walker’s version of “I Know My Redeemer Lives.”
I think I better wait until I have better singers and/or musicianship and/or musicians and/or an organ player for some of the more difficult tunes.
yikes…
Just so that you know I’m not anti-hymn, some of the hymns I sing are:
- Were You There
- I Surrender All
- Lord, I Want to Be A Christian
- My Jesus I Love Thee
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- Fairest Lord Jesus
- It Is Well With My Soul
February 27, 2008 at 5:39 am
Hymns are very difficult to sing. I didn’t realize how difficult they were until I started to lead a classic service at my church. Remember that ultimately your heart has to be in the right place. If you have people in your congregation that are older,then I think you should try to work in some hymns, but you can only do what you can. Be encouraged, pray for those that are giving you a hard time, and know that if people are giving you a hard time you are probably doing something right, they gave Jesus a hard time too.
February 27, 2008 at 7:31 am
I think wanting to serve the congregation is where my frustration lies. Thanks for the encouragement.
February 27, 2008 at 11:23 am
Hi girl friend! I hear your pain..
It’s in the wanting to serve the congregation that we find the most grief. Mind you I mean that compassionately. I’m reminded of the Lord as He wept for Jerusalem because they didn’t recognize their Savior. And of Paul’s desire to bring the gospel to his own, the Jews, and yet they didn’t receive it.
I know this isn’t exactly the same thing as far as circumstances go but the desire to love and serve is. When we love and serve someone and they miss it because their eyes are in the wrong place then we are crushed because we want so much to encourage and touch them all.
I’ve written all that just to repeat myself…. “I hear your pain” everyone who ever has sacrificed for the sake of others will experience the same. No advice here, just some good old hugs from someone who’s been there.
February 27, 2008 at 11:38 am
Exactly. I’ve been on a quest to try to learn (out of love for this one lady) a bunch more hymns, but I am finding that my musicianship isn’t quite up to par, which is disappointing.
If she ever asked me, I would be able to say what I feel and express my love to her more adequately.
IN the meantime, it seems the enemy uses it to frustrate me and get MY EYES off of what my purpose is. I have to remain true to my calling and being distracted (by anything) is a problem to that goal.
I wonder if, when we’re 80, we’ll say, “Gee I wish they’d play the good songs like Praise 1-3 songs, or Rick Founds, Billy Batstone, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder… THOSE where the days when they wrote good songs…”
Maybe we’ll be the HYMN people then?
February 27, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I think another painful lesson that we have to learn is that the need of the few may not outway the need of the many. Now this is a matter of balance as Jesus said that he would leave the 99 to try to save the one. Trying to find this balance makes this even harder.
February 27, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Exactly, Matt!
March 3, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Bridget,
Yeah I FEEL ya on the hymns. I love hymns and did grow up in church and I still find them really difficult to pull off.
March 29, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Ha this is a great discussion. It obviously comes up for many of us. I agree, in how many years will people (by people I mean ME) be griping to the worship leader saying: Why don’t you play those songs on the guitar like they did back in my day like Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Hillsong United used to do it? Why are you butchering the classics playing them on your disco turntables and keytars through an xBox 360 and kookie thingamabobs?!?! I think it’ll be great
One thing that Matt touched on already, it’s my opinion that the church needs a direction, a unified approach to worship and preaching, etc. It may be that heavy hymns led by the piano with 4 part harmony isn’t what the main theme of worship is to be at My Church Community. That being the case there are still people who may desire that in their worship. It’s a tough place to be but it’s the reality each week we face. You accept feedback and criticism and then lend your heart to the Spirit’s leading.