Not much controversy with the sermon on Sunday – no questions
about the content of the worship service at all… but there was one comment about
an Announcement. It was the
Announcement that we would be welcoming hymn suggestions from the congregation –
let us know your favourites so that they can be included in Worship, I requested.
The comment that I received on the subject was simple and to the point: About
time!!
I think that the comment cuts to the heart of worship and
the tension that provides the best worship experience. Is it
really about time that we took requests?
Do we view worship as dinner theater? Seated by a nicely dressed waiter, we put in
our order and then watch the show, with the expectation that we will be fed
stuff that we like. On the way home we
assess the service and decide if we will visit again. Is that the purpose and nature of worship –
to be served and get what we ordered in a timely, friendly fashion?
Some would see worship as something that we give to God in
response to our experience of God’s love.
We say “Thank You” as we stand up and sing our best songs to God our
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. We
dress in our “Sunday” best, speak politely and put on a lovely show for God:
Much as we used to do when we visited Great Grandma and read our speech from
school while wearing itchy long pants. Is that the purpose and true nature of
worship – to be polite, respectful and do a lovely show the old lady?
What if we imagined Worship to be something else… Neither
spa nor thank you note… not theater or spectacle… what if we imagined that Worship was
something to equip us to live in the world aware of and sharing God’s
love? What if Sunday was our nurture and
training to be the Kingdom of God? Or if the language and metaphor don’t speak
to you – what if the purpose of church was to connect us to one another and
inspire us to actively love and change the world??
In the first example, a familiar favourite hymn makes sense
because we requested it… it helps us to feel at home and provided a sense of succor
and comfort. Exactly what we ordered.
In the second example, a familiar favourite hymn might make
sense if it is a good hymn – but only because it is good enough for us to offer
it to God in thanksgiving… you don’t give Grandma a T-Shirt from Giant Tiger,
when you could afford to give her Chanel
(at least that’s what my Grandma told me…) You give your best - the “best” is the criteria for offering a
hymn; not favourite or familiar. Bach
nearly always beats Fanny Crosby.
In the third example…
well, a familiar favourite might provide nurture and comfort, which gives us rest and strengthens us to love the world.
But, an unfamiliar hymn challenges us and invites us to look beyond our
own comfort zone and realize that Faith, God and the World are not all about
us. A new hymn offers new ideas in ways
that are not intellectual, but might stick with us for months as we hear the
tune in our heads… it might be a year
before it comes out as a thought or inspires a new action of love… but it does
equip us to engage with the world and share the Kingdom of God.
About time?
Maybe… maybe for you because you need some comfort to
strengthen you for the world… Maybe for somebody else because the hymn is new
and challenging and they were starting to get complacent in their faith… Maybe for the choir because they sing is so
well and the need an affirmation today…
I, personally, think that it’s a good thing when worship
reflects the personality of the community – to that end, a familiar favourite hymn
is a great idea (we are offering who we are to God)… but I also believe that worship is meant to lead and inspire-
so every now and then, it’s also a good idea to let go of the “favourites” and
discover that God also reaches out to us in minor keys; dissonant harmonies and
music both excellent and edgy.
But that’s me… what about you?
OK Norm, I'll bite on this one. I like the "What ifs" you offer as potential purpose for church... and I still agree with whomever it was that said "About time!" For those of us who like to sing (and you can't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about), I can think of few activities that inspire a feeling of connection better than communal singing that works. In my opinion, this is most easily accomplished with hymns that people know and like. Even a few strong singers can carry this experience, and people sing out more to songs that they know and love, so even if it’s well-known by only a few, this can affect others’ perception of a “new” song.
ReplyDeleteHymns that are familiar stick in my head and replay during the week, sometimes allowing me to think about their words or meaning, either consciously or unconsciously. They can be a daily reminder of my church experience, inspiring me to “actively love and change the world.” In my experience, this is much less likely to happen the first time I hear a hymn (although not impossible). Furthermore, the promise of favourite hymns is one of the things that brings me back to church. It is no coincidence that the two times I have found my way back to the church have been during Advent, when the prevalent hymns are carols that I both know and like.
That being said, I think there is absolutely a value in learning new hymns. For one thing, my favourite might be a hymn that someone else has never heard. Someone else’s hymn might be one I don’t know but fall in love with. Perhaps a hymn that I don’t know or particularly like speaks to an important concept or just fits well with the service.
I love that we are making a list of favourite hymns. You know the favourites of those who comment regularly, but there might be quieter people out there who have favourites you’ve never heard about. This invitation might even be the very thing to inspire some people to think about what their favourites are and maybe consider why they are favourites. For some, just being asked, knowing there is a list, seeing their own favourites listed by others, can be a validating and communal experience. And when a favourite is picked, there is buy-in. It’s a feeling of being heard, not just “I like this one,” but “my hymn came up today.” “I chose this one.” Even if that’s not why it was picked, there is a chance for people to “have their say” and that can make all the difference.
I hope we do continue to learn new hymns and to find challenge in the learning and community in the struggle, but if there is a familiar or favoured hymn at least once in a service, or even once every few services, I think that comfort and familiarity goes a long way for many of us. Thanks for humouring us a bit… we promise to pick at least a few good ones!
Amanda, I agree whole-heartedly. I love the old favourites and recognize their importance and power in people’s lives. I have sat in hospital with people during the worst moments of their lives, times when words creak and strain to convey anything… and sung hymns. Almost under our breath, we sang together old favourites… hymns that comfort and connect.
ReplyDeleteLove old hymns… and I feel sorry for those who do not a few stored up to bring out when the world crumbles.
The problem arises when one person’s old favourite is repulsive to another… or has nothing to say. Battle Hymn of the Republic, Onward Christians Soldiers… favourites for many folk, and provide great comfort and connection for lots of people. For others… these hymns speak of war and defeating an enemy; they convey a God who stands over us and uses creation as His footstool. Is that really what I people to understand about God? Because it’s an old favourite, I can overlook some of the more egregious theology and philosophy – I know about the context and I can forgive it… but for a new comer, that’s hard to do.
Some of our old favourites come from a time when we believed it was our responsibility and right rule the world and educate the ignorant heathens… and the words can convey that attitude. Many of our hymns convey a God with whom most of us struggle: A God who knows everything and takes care of us as long as we keep asking nicely…
And so the challenge is to find the balance… to re-write a few of the “old favourites” and have a loving funeral service for a select few that just don’t belong any more.
But, I promise not to bury too many….
I'd like to go back and comment on this, haveing had amonth or so of congregational requests. I have to say that I love this. There have been a few times that a hymn has come up and I've thought "Really? This one?" and then noticed that it was marked cr. It gives me new perspective and inspires me to look again at the hymn and imagine liking it more. It does make me think about why someone would like it...
ReplyDeleteThen there were those I agreed with, where I can say "Oh, look, someone else likes this one too." That's an exciting feeling and brings a sense of unspoken community.
I LIKE IT!