I'm still cleaning up my desktop (yes, I do that periodically, usually about once or twice a year when I receive an OSHA violation). I stumbled across the Higher Things hymn list from our planning of the three "Amen" conferences. The list reminded me of the lively and robust singing that is a hallmark of Higher Things conferences. In a day and age when people are saying, "Youth won't sing those tired old hymns," Higher Things conferences continue to defy conventional wisdom and show that young people will belt them out like real Lutherans if you don't play the hymns in a tired, old way. My tinnitus-tinged ears, seasoned by the hard rock of the 70's and 80's, were ringing with joy at the Amen conferences. I especially recall the hymn Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending sung at high volume in the cavernous Chapel of St. Xavier at St. Louis University. I turned to the liturgist sitting next to me, a fellow LCMS pastor, and said, "Wow!" And that word hardly did justice to the joyful noise of that singing.
I've always been puzzled by the intrusion of praise bands and pop revival music in a church which has long been called the "singing church." There is such a vast difference between singing along with a band and corporate singing as a congregation. Corporate singing is a dying art in our culture. We listen to our music individualistically on iPods, and when we listen together, we sing along with hands waving in the air saying "look at me, look at me. Woo hoo!" This is far removed from the strong corporate singing one finds in other cultures where music unites rather than divides. Think of the great ballads of the Irish pub, English soccer matches, the folk songs of the protest era, and yes, the church, ever counter-cultural and tran-cultural. Music unites the generations when it is sung corporately.
I didn't intend for this to be a treatise on hymn singing, so I will leave these thoughts as sufficient unto the day. Copyright restrictions prohibit me from posting the entire conference worship folder, which was a liturgical work of art. The service orders - Matins, Vespers, Evening Prayers, the Divine Service - were all from Lutheran Service Book, as were all the hymns.
As the president of Higher Things, I am sometimes asked by pastors and district presidents, "Who approves your worship services and hymns?" My answer is always the same, "The Synod in convention, when it adopted our hymnal."
Here is the playlist, in order, of the Hymns of Amen-2008.
A Mighty Fortress (LSB 656) O Love, How Deep (LSB 544) Our Paschal Lamb That Sets Us Free (LSB 473) The Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644) Our Father Who From Heaven Above (LSB 766) Christ is Made the Sure Foundation (LSB 909) Abide with Me (LSB 878) Father Most Holy (LSB 504) The Gifts Christ Freely Gives (LSB 602) We All Believe in One True God (LSB 954) Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (LSB 849) Lord Jesus Christ, With Us Abide (LSB 585) Once in the Blest Baptismal Waters (LSB 598) All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (LSB 883) Alleluia, Let Praises Ring (LSB 822) Christ Be My Leader (LSB 861) Lord, to You I Make Confession (LSB 608) Jesus Sinners Doth Receive (LSB 609) Thy Strong Word (LSB 578) Who Are You Who Walk in Sorrow (LSB 476) Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart (LSB 708) At the Lamb’s HIgh Feast We Sing (LSB 633) Our Paschal Lamb That Sets Us Free (LSB 473) Christ, Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands (LSB 458) O Lord, We Praise Thee (LSB 617) Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise (LSB 680) God Loved the World So That He Gave (LSB 571) May God Bestow on Us Grace (LSB 823) Crown Him With Many Crowns (LSB 525) Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending (LSB 336) My Soul Rejoices (LSB 933) Eternal Father, Strong to Save (LSB 717)
Posted On: August 07th, 2008 at 10:04am by Andrew DeLoach
Would that the above playlist were available for my iPod!
Oh and bonus points for the mention of English soccer. I'm a huge fan of the terrace chants, though many of them are pretty vulgar. But one correction...it's called football!
Posted On: August 07th, 2008 at 3:30pm by jim claybourn
Another sad example of the dearth of corporate singing is the "singing" (read: performing) of the National Anthem by soloists at public events. Just try to sing along, like we used to do.
For you NASCAR fans, the guy who sang before the Pocono race was awesome, wasn't he (except for the "freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee")?
Posted On: August 08th, 2008 at 8:31am by Orianna Laun
Anybody won't sing "tired old hymns" when they are led in a tired old way. I noticed that the musicians at Higher Things does not see them as "tired old hymns"; consequently they are led as fresh and new and sung with similar gusto. All in perspective.
I love all sorts of hymns, and it's greater to sing them with people who love to sing them, not look upon them as drudgery.
Posted On: August 08th, 2008 at 10:24pm by AgentDelta
Another sad example of the dearth of corporate singing is the "singing" (read: performing) of the National Anthem by soloists at public events. Just try to sing along, like we used to do.
Come to a Texas rodeo. There's no soloist. Instead, everybody is asked to sing.
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