Why Do We Do What We Do?

A column to answer questions about worship from the Rev. Dr. Brian Lays

How are the hymns chosen each week?

Since the early church, singing has been an integral part of worship. The book of Colossians admonishes Christians: “let the word of God dwell in you richly… and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” Hymn singing is one of the core acts of worship, which we engage at the beginning, middle, and end of a service. Music generally is a form of both praise and prayer, but most of all, singing furthers the proclamation of the word, and equips us to “let the word of God dwell in us richly.”

The starting point for choosing hymns is the core message of the day, or the central theme of the service as drawn from the day’s biblical texts. It is our hope that as we plan worship, the hymns we choose resonate with and more deeply illuminate the word “read and proclaimed,” that is, the scripture lessons and sermon. As you sing the hymns, pay close attention to the words—you’ll be amazed at the overlap with the scripture texts. Hymn writers are saturated with scripture, and it is often possible to find multiple allusions to scripture—sometimes ten or fifteen, sometimes more—in any given hymn.

The opening and closing hymns are typically more upbeat. The first hymn, which follows the Call to Worship, is meant to offer a sense of praise and adoration as worship begins. The final hymn, which follows the pastoral prayer, is meant to energize the congregation to be sent forth into the world to put into practice the word of God that has been proclaimed in worship. The middle hymn, meanwhile, is often quieter and more contemplative, as it is meant to set the stage for listening to God’s word through the scripture and sermon.

The challenge associated with selecting hymns, of course, is the question of people’s various preferences. All of us have favorite hymns, of course, and all of us have hymns we don’t really like. Whatever the words of a given hymn, its tune makes a difference in creating resonance and making a mark upon our hearts.

Of course, there are those who mostly prefer to sing “old favorites,” and there are those who tire of singing hymns by “old dead guys.” While we generally know a good hymn when we hear it (Be Thou My Vision and How Great Thou Art are favorites for a reason), our preferences vary substantially, though we tend to think everyone else likes the same hymns we do.

So, as a general principle, as we plan worship, we try to select from a wide variety of hymns, thinking first of all about the extent to which the words are relevant to the service’s message, but also considering which beloved hymns we might include to both move our minds and stir our souls. In the end, it’s a delicate dance, but a delight for those of us with the privilege of preparing for the weekly worship of our God!

Books to Share

RPC has a “Little Free Library” outside the sanctuary on Post Street. We are looking for anyone who wishes to donate books to it. For over a year, our neighbors have loved using this little library and our books continue to disappear. So if you are cleaning out your bookshelves or you want to “declutter” your life, drop you books of in the church office. Your books will find a new home for one of our neighbors.