That Old Chestnut

I was asked by a colleague of mine if I could describe what “contemporary worship” meant. She was asked by a member of her congregation if they could have a more “contemporary worship” service, and wanted to know what I (and others) thought that might mean. Personally, I feel that any worship service, regardless of style, is only effective if it is contemporary, which is to say that it matters to the people who are present in the service. And while I think there are plenty of ways in which worship can be “contemporary,” I think the primary request for contemporary worship is for there to be songs played on the guitar, maybe with some drums even.

Now I have nothing against that. While I have a deep love of music from the 60s, I don’t think that all good music stopped being written in that decade. There are plenty of musicians currently making music that I thoroughly enjoy.

But I know that church music can be different.

Church music is often the soundtrack to our understanding of God and our place in God’s world. It is the music that has been sung as we’ve mourned loved ones and celebrated the baptisms of our children. Church music can hold a sacred, even sacrosanct, place in our lives and we can be zealously resistant to the idea that new music could somehow supplant the songs of our faith upbringing.

But every hymn was new at some point. And those hymns can quickly become the “classic” hymns of our youth. One example I’ll give is the Advent hymn My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout, also known as The Canticle of Turning. I love that hymn. It’s a favorite of mine and one that I want to sing every Advent. And while the tune was an old Irish melody, the lyrics that I love so much were only written in 1990. Christ is Risen! Shout Hosanna!’s tune was written by Beethoven in 1824, but the lyrics were only written in 1984.

Sometimes, I am shocked to learn about how recent some hymns are. For example, I had no idea that On Eagles Wings, a hymn that I’ve heard at countless funerals over the course of my entire life, was only written in 1978. Personally, I can’t imagine not knowing that song existed and not assuming I would hear it at a funeral. But if I were ate a funeral in 1978 would I be sitting there with my arms crossed wondering, “Why can’t they just play the good funeral music?"

Now some hymns have been around for an eternity, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent comes from a fourth century prayer translated in 1864. No one would have been surprised to hear that one through the generations. But I’m always amused to think of how evergreen this conundrum is. People don’t like the new music because the old music is perfect, but that old music was new.

It may not be as funny to you as it is to me, but I love the idea of a pastor getting a letter in his mailbox talking about how terrible the new songs are and how he just wants to sing the good songs in 1923 in response to having just sung Great is Thy Faithfulness for the first time. Or the same thing happening in 1742 when hearing the music from that young upstart, George Frederick Handel, where they had to sing some peppy, upbeat drivel called Joy to the World.

Everything old was once new. Everything new will become old. We will sing the classic hymns, we will sing the contemporary hymns, and I will definitely complain about new-fangled music that will someday be a timeless classic. C’est la vie.

Peace,

Jeff

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At Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, we believe faith grows when people gather together to worship, sing, learn, and share life with one another. If you're looking for a church home or simply a place to ask questions, make connections, and be part of a welcoming community, we invite you to join us for worship on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. We'd love to meet you, hear your story, and save a seat for you. Our church is located at 1200 S. Winton Road in Brighton. To learn more, visit our website or contact the church office at 585-244-8585.