The Movement of Hymns
James McManus
Right through the woods behind my house sits the First Baptist Church of Winnsboro, SC. It was built in the mid-20th century and has bell chimes, albeit they are the electric kind, and not the old style bells. During daylight hours, the bells will chime at the top of the hour, with an electronic bell chimed for each hour. Sometimes - and, I have yet to figure out the rhythm/timing of it - right after chiming the hour, the bells will then play 2 stanzas of a hymn. It’s lovely to hear, and I find that I when the melody playing, I will stop what I am doing and try and figure out the hymn. It begins with me listening to the melody … then humming that melody, hoping I can figure it out … until finally the words come to my mind and I start singing along, sometimes silently, more often than not out loud. I’ve grown to not only really enjoy it, but appreciate it, because the hymns are always the “classics” - “Be Thou My Vision”, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, “Amazing Grace”, “It is Well with My Soul”, etc. And it causes me to pause what I am doing, engage in worship, and think through the rich theology those great old hymns provide for God’s people. There are days when those few moments of the Gospel in melody are very needed and a good balm for a weary soul.
As a committed ARP pastor, I love the Psalms - my congregation sings them weekly, and I am thankful for that heritage. I also love the hymns. Being raised in a Southern Baptist church, it was hymns that we sang every Sunday. Then, when I went to college and got involved with Reformed University Fellowship, we would sing those great hymns every Tuesday evening at our RUF large group meeting. With a couple of acoustic guitars, and sometimes a djembe, this room full of college students would loudly sing out those classic hymns of the church. That is when a love of those hymns began to develop. I found myself looking forward to those Tuesday evenings, to join in with my friends to hear God’s word read and preached - and sing through those hymns. Those still stand as some of my favorite memories from college.
What I began to realize is that the words of those hymns - and later on the Psalms - began to stick in my mind. As I walked to class, I would hum the melody to “A Mighty Fortress is our God” and sing it to myself (in my mind, so no one else on my trek across campus would be subjected to my singing). As I studied in the library, Psalm 121 would come to mind and I would take a few moments to sit in the truth of that Psalm. All because I was around the singing of those hymns and Psalms. They even began to crowd out all the punk rock songs that were lodged in my brain (although, I will confess, the Beatles are still pretty firmly planted in mind).
Those experiences has opened my mind and heart more to passages such as Colossians 3:16, “16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (ESV) The word of Christ was dwelling richly in my mind and heart because I sung those psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I was being taught the wonders of who God is through the rich theology of those hymns. I was being admonished in my sinfulness by the wisdom of the Gospel in those hymns and psalms that would come to mind. The Spirit of the Living God was using these hymns and psalms to help me grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All of this was leading to being more thankful for the Triune God and His great love of me and mercy and grace in my life.
I am thankful for God’s call for His church to major in singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I am also thankful to be part of a rich heritage in the ARP that takes this call from God seriously. From my experience in ARP churches … to presbytery meetings … to Synods … to youth retreats and conferences … there is always the singing of God’s truth. There is always the intentional inclusion of worship through singing for God’s people. And, I have found that it isn’t just a one song and done … with time permitting, it’s 2, 3, 4 or sometimes even more hymns, psalms and spiritual songs being sung. What a wonderful call from God - and what a wonderful obedience to it we find in the ARP!
It is my hope that hymns, psalms and spiritual songs are a vital part of your spiritual growth and health. I also hope that they are a part of your daily life, and not just regulated to Sundays. With the wonders of technology, so much is at our fingertips, including wonderful versions of our favorite hymns & psalms. Even as I write this, I have Spotify playing through a playlist of instrumental hymns, psalms and spiritual songs! May the Lord continue to use this call of song to further strengthen His people, edify the church, and spread the Gospel throughout the world - one psalm, hymn and spiritual song at a time. May each of us be a Colossians 3.16 Christian and leader in our homes, churches and communities. And, may God continued to be glorified and enjoyed through our singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.