Well, I don't like every old hymn. Some of them are not so great. 'Now that the daylight gilds the skies' is certainly not my favourite. You need to set aside half a day to sing it, for one thing. But many of the hymns that have survived are great and probably don't get used enough in today's church. You see, I was brought up using a hymn book called 'Hymns ancient and modern revised'. But I guess that even by the 1960s it should have been called 'Hymns ancient and prehistoric'.
So what is it about some old hymns that I like? As I have said, I don't like them all. I guess that by the time I was growing up the only nineteenth century hymns still in use, even at our church, were the better ones; the ones that had stood the test of time. But when I think about the old hymns that I like: 'At the name of Jesus', 'For all the saints', 'On Jordan's bank', 'Ride on, ride on in majesty', there is something that they all have in common. They are all hymns that talk with wonder about what God has done for us. That's what I like in worship music. I find it hard to connect with worship music that just gives praise to Jesus, what I grumpily call "oh whoa I love you Jesus" songs. No, give me something that speaks of the wonder and majesty of God and I will wipe away a tear.
I love it when a worship leader puts a modern take on an old hymn and breathes new life into it's poetry for the current generation. Neil Bennetts did a wonderful rewrite of 'O for a thousand tongues to sing', as has David Crowder and I attach a link to his version below. Give it a listen, whatever your taste in worship music, you will almost certainly enjoy David Crowder.
Now, of course I am not saying that we should only sing old hymns, or reworked old hymns. That would be dreadful, but I have emphasised my point for a reason. Some of you will have read my thoughts and found yourself in broad agreement. Some of you will have raised an eyebrow and have decided that John has his own views on worship and let's leave it at that. Some of you will have just been saying "no, no, no" as you read it. Each of those views is valid. The sad truth is that worship and disputes over different styles and interpretations is one of the biggest dividers of God's people. The question then becomes what right do I have to ask for my preferred style of worship? That is the question that we will look at tomorrow.
O for a thousand tongues to sing.
Pray with me…
Father, search my heart so that I can play my part in joyfully worshipping you with your other children. Never let my worship preferences divide me from my brothers and sisters.
John Martin-Jones
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