Sing an Old Song to the Lord
Last Sunday night I attended a hymn sing in Montreat. I’m not sure how long these Sunday evening sings have occurred, but they seem quite the tradition. The average age skews fairly high (as does Montreat’s cottager population in general,) but there’s also a good intergenerational mix.
As in many “y’all come” hymn sings, those who show up get to pick the hymns. The leader will then spice things up with some instructions as to whom might sing what parts and similar such funness. Heck, I’m a hymn nerd, I enjoy singing, and social situations are great too…ergo, I love the hymn sings.
But, last Sunday night, an odd thing happened. Or, at least, it was odd if you know just a little about Presbyterian history.
After thirty minutes of people shouting out hymns to sing, I thought it strange, but held my tongue. After another ten, I got real nervous. After a few more minutes, I gave up, spoke up, and took things into my own hands.
I requested we sing a psalm.
After 45 minutes, this group of mainly older Presbyterians had requested many a favorite hymn, several topical hymns for evening, and few noting July 4th, but not one psalm.
Psalm singing is our tradition. For many many years, Presbyterians ONLY sang psalms. Calvin was all about psalms. We still use many tunes from the Genevan psalter. Oh, and that Knox guy and his Scottish friends came up with a darn good psalter of their own. “What do Presbyterians bring to the interdenominational hymn sing pot luck supper?” Psalms. The answer is psalms. (Lutherans have some fancy fun chorales, Methodists bring Wesley…and Wesley, Anglicans at least have some chants, and so on…) But Presbyterians bring psalms, right?
Well, from this tiny sample size, at least, psalms haven’t stuck in people’s hearts and heads like they used to. I’m all for singing new texts, but I’m worried that those younger generations at the hymn sing will grow up without knowing, without singing their heritage. So I can’t wait for next week’s hymn sing. I already know what I’ll request. I have 150 options.
image by Julia Freeman-Woolpert
Connect Online
Good one, Adam. Your Scots friends would be proud of this post. I’m also continuing the psalms traditions, but I’m using art as my medium. Thus far I’ve drawn about 84, so I’ve only another 66 to go!
You can check out my progress at my flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/sets/72157603288751629/detail/
Please make sure you sing at least Psalm 46 at my funeral, either to Michael or Winchester Old. And any other psalms you want. You can plan a hymn sing / psalm sing, if you like. That would seem appropriate.
P.S. I am proud to have helped raise a “hymn nerd”. Scottish genes, First Pres. Tallahassee and St. Olaf …. a winning combination.
You go, Adam. And interestingly, many of the Psalms we sing now are in the more chanting style, not the Geneva Psalter style, with its 125 melodies and 150 Psalms! And interestingly, the more penitential Psalms are what were sung often in Calvin’s Geneva – after the prayers of confession – and were sung/written before some of the praise Psalms. And I try to use a sung Psalm in most of the services I lead as a supply preacher, and EVEN preach on them a lot (like this coming Sunday). Enjoy your time at Montreat, and the singing!
Sarah
Why do you suppose that was? I’d hazard a guess that folks select hymns not for theological completeness, but based on musical aesthetics or personal meaning. If so…why no Psalms?
Actually Lutherans also sing/chant the Psalter, e.g. check out our 20th & 21st century hymnbooks–you’ll find several psalm tone settings, as well as Psalms set to hymns, some of which belong, of course, to the church catholic (with a lower case c), although the RCs are known to sing psalms now and then too!
Keep singing,
DimLamp
P.S. Visit my blog and comment too, I, like you, appreciate comments, be kind or critical, but employ kindness in your criticism.