Teaching and Admonishment
We were singing a song from "Sing Unto the Lord" (the de facto UPC hymnal) in our congregation last week and I noticed something rather unusual. One of the lines in the chorus read "many will meet their doom" (#288, "Jesus is Coming Soon). So I thought to myself, "Now that isn't a lyric you'd hear in a song written in the last decade or two."
On what seemed to be an unrelated note, I was reading a couple passages recently in my devotional reading and came across something a little unusual. In Col 3:16 we are taught to teach and admonish "one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." Similarly, I don't think there are that many songs that dabble in the admonishment business today.
Now the Greek word translated "admonishment" from this passage may have had a slightly different meaning -- Strong gives us the meaning of noutheteo as "admonish, warn, exhort" whereas Merriam-Webster gives a little wider range of meanings... Nonetheless, I consider it noteworthy to discuss a little further.
As we were singing "many will meet their doom" I couldn't help but think about the old-time preaching of "Jesus is coming soon" that can draw people to the altar out of fear of eternal damnation. Now I don't believe that should be the sole motivating factor for people to repent and turn their life around, but it is something that we need to emphasize periodically.
On a couple final tangents, 1) I would like to make a plea for an annotated "Sing Unto the Lord." I would find a well-written history of some of these songs and songwriters very interesting. And 2) I'm interested in your thoughts. Who out there reading this thinks that the "hymnal" is obsolete and should be banished to the occasional "old-time" service or maybe done away with completely? Can you make a good argument for such an opinion? (I think it's obvious where my bias lies!)
posted by everettg at
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
5 Comments:
Everett,
I'm so glad you addressed this. The lyrics of songs in the "Sing Unto the Lord" songbook have always been a bittersweet issue for me because I spent quite a chunk of time going to a church where the songbook songs were paramount.
On one hand, I gained an appreciation for the songs. When in other times I may have disdained them, I came to see the value in them. And as there were many elderly in that church, I realized those songs were something they could identify with and I felt bad wanting to begrudge the poor guys something as simple as a few old-time songs because they didn't line up with my tastes.
However, on the other hand, as I began to learn the songs, I saw much disheartening evidence of the lyrics being quite out of touch with today. You named one example, "many will meet their doom," in "Jesus is Coming Soon." What about "when my body's slumb'ring in the cold, cold clay" in "I'll Live On"? It just gives me a dreary, dismal image. And I will admit always slightly cringing while singing "my eyes be filled with tears" in "Just a Little Talk With Jesus." And on that same note, we sing "feel a little prayer wheel turnin, know a little fire is burnin" without thinking, but I've always wondered--what on God's green earth is a prayer wheel?
In the end, I don't think the answer is to chunk them. There is a simplicity and a hearkening back to the "good old days" in them that I don't think should be done away with. But it's also important to realize the ways in which they're out of touch with this generation. Admonishment is biblical, but is the way to do that now with fire and brimstone-esque reminders of impending doom?
I like your idea about an annotated version, though. I'm always curious about the history behind the songs and the songwriters' lives.
(One song that I can think of as admonishing that is contemporary is "Give Us Clean Hands")
I have been pulling out an ancient hymnbook to learn songs that are relevant to the nursing homes that my husband and I minister in. Unless you've been there, it's such a blessing to sing an old song and hear elderly voices lifted in the only kind of worship they knew.
Everett,
Well you KNOW where I stand. I thing the anotated hymbook is a MARVELOUS idea! Unfortunately in my research at the UPC Historical Center, I've found very little on our own writers. Now, granted much of Sing Unto The Lord ( the "defacto songbook" - ha! you made me laugh on that one) is written by non-oneness pentecostals. I think we could find quite a bit of history on those as various other organizations have done a much better job at keeping their histories - sad for us.
I fipped through the "Sing Unto The Lord" this weekend, and I found quite a few songs written in the 70's. Are these considered hymns? Aren't these songs simply what was "popular" at the time this collection was published? There are quite a few classic hymns that were included, and I don't think many churches have phased out the timeless hymns. They even appear on the modern worship recordings that are full of new material. I would definitely be interested in an annotated version of this hymnbook. I would also like to know the different opinions on which songs are timeless, and which songs are not relevant outside of a certain era.
RJ,
Actually, we have very few authentic "hymns" in Sing Unto The Lord. Most are considered "gospel songs" - which are songs written late 19th/early20th century. What also classifies them as such is that songs of this style were included in a collection by P.P Bliss (who co-wrote with Fanny Crosby) entitled "Gospel Songs" - thus the name of the genre. They are also frequently referred to as "camp-meeting songs." Hymns tend to be slow and are full of doctrines of the church.
AA
Post a Comment
<< Home