Hymnals

 Oh come, let us sing to the lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Psalm 95:1

We used to have a piano; we used to have several in our family who sang in the choir, but today all we have left are hymnals.  The Gospel Hymns, from before 1940, probably belonged to my husband's grandmother.  But two of those on the left are from St. Mark Presbyterian (The bottom red one is Methodist).  The top one is the hymnal we currently use.

 Tucked inside are a list of hymns which Dave wrote out at least 10 years ago.  At first I thought it was a list of hymns Dave would call out for our pre-worship sing-a-longs.  But, he said it might have been hymns he used to improve his speech after his accident.  He would read and sing them out loud trying to form the words which he had, at one time, sung effortlessly.

 

 Then comes the oldest hymnal St. Mark Presbyterian had---a hand-me-down from Ladue Chapel, the church which helped our congregation get started.

 Finally, is a Methodist hymnal, which belonged to my parents and was dedicated to the memories of my grandparents.  What a wonderful idea, to dedicate hymnals to people who guided you through those early worship experiences.  Please consider dedicating a hymnal to one of your parents, grandparents, a former pastor or choir director.  It is one way of thanking them and thanking God.

A hymnal is, of course, used for worship, but it is also a link to the past, a comfort during struggles, a tribute to a loved one and now a glimpse into our future.

For more about our new hymnals, Glory to God, click here where you will also find the table of contents for what hymns will be included.  Click here to download our bulletin for more information on how you can donate money for and dedicate a hymnal to someone or see Cathy York for details.

"O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth!" Psalm 96:1