When God created Man, he gave him Music as
a language
different from all other languages.
Khalil
Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, writer and artist
Before the church emerged at
Pentecost, Jesus and his followers sang to the Lord: “When they had sung the
hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30) Barbara Brown
Taylor points out that this song was most likely the Hallel- Psalm 113 through Psalm
118 - traditionally sung during Passover.
As the church grew beyond Jerusalem, Paul and others wrote words of
encouragement to the new believers, offering guidelines for living a faithful
life, which included singing.
“..to be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs among yourselves, and making melody
to the Lord in your hearts.” (Eph 5:18-19)
Paul also admonished the church in Colossae:
“…with
gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God.”
(Col 3:16)
Both Jews and Gentiles sang with
one voice when they came together as the new church. Song is a common language,
uniting even the most diverse populations. Early Christians had limited access
to written scripture; they learned it through oral repetition. Song enhanced
this knowledge. John Bell, a minister in the Church of Scotland, asserts that even
today, we sing not only to “…give a gift to God, but also to shape our
discipleship.”
Over
the summer, we will explore how hymnody evolved from the early Church, through
the ages, to its present form and usage. Much has changed, and hymns and church music continue to evolve even
today as we await the delivery of our new Presbyterian hymnals, “Glory to God.”
Meanwhile, we invite you to contribute a
post on your favorite hymns as we reflect on this important element of our
worship.
