I love church music, I always have. Even as a young person I liked listening to choirs and the music of the church. Don’t miss understand me when I say I love church music. Do not hear me say, “I love the church music of the past exclusively.” I love many of the new hymns and choruses! Granted some of the newer stuff is not very deep. It will not stand the test of time but then not all the music of the past has survived. Of the thousands of hymns Charles Wesley wrote we sing a handful. Not every hymn by Isaac Watts remains a perennial favorite. Music does evolve and that is not wrong nor is it a bad thing. The Gospel must be spoken and sung in the language of the people if it is to reach the masses.
Part of my devotional reading is the reading of hymns. I can’t “read” music and that helps. When I’m reading hymns I’m reading the words, I’m getting the sense of the movement of the message – the tune isn’t stuck in my head (unless I’m reading a familiar hymn). One of my favorite hymnbooks for devotional purposes is Gadsby’s Hymnal first published in England in 1838. While there are hymns by Isaac Watts and John Newton most of the writers are unknown to me. Pastors and poets of past generations whose hymns have not been preserved. In my reading this week I came across this hymn by Gadsby. He speaks of the believer’s rest in Christ. Listen to verses 5 and 6 (there are 7 verses total):
Here’s life, and light, and holiness,
And righteousness divine;
A boundless treasure, all of grace,
And faith says, All is mine.
O what a rest is Christ to me!
How precious and how true!
From guilt and sin he sets me free,
And gives me glory too.
Looking for a good devotional book? Pick up a hymnal and give some serious thought to what we are singing. I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod