Why are hymns sung

The Topics guide in the hymnbook illustrates the wide variety of doctrines taught. There is an appropriate hymn for every occasion.

For instance, if you had been invited to the Last Supper, what hymns from our hymnbook might have been appropriate?

It is likely that many hymns were sung that evening. What did they sing? Although we have no way of knowing the concluding hymn, we do know one song. It is called the Hallel, which consists of Psalms — From before the time of Christ down to the present day, it is traditional for Jewish families to sing Psalms —14 before the Passover meal and Psalms —18 after.

Why are these hymns important to the celebration? What is their message? Psalms —14 praise God for delivering Israel from the Egyptians.

They indicate that He rules both water and land in that He parted the Red Sea for Israel to pass through and brought forth water when Moses struck the rock at Meribah see Ex. At the Passover meal, one would expect Israel to be singing about deliverance from the angel of death, preservation in the desert, the parting of the Red Sea, and the greatness of the God of Jacob.

After the meal, the hymns turn to the ultimate deliverance of the soul Ps. The Atonement, represented by the cup of salvation, is the centerpiece of the festivities following the meal. All who celebrated the Passover that evening in A. The stone or rock, which is Christ, was refused or crucified by the builders, the Jewish leaders. As a result, Christ became the chief cornerstone or name by which salvation comes. Imagine, if you will, the Savior of the world singing these hymns with His disciples, which foreshadowed the events that followed later that evening and the next day.

All members of the Jewish faith participated in these events. They committed to memory these Psalms. They understood the meaning of them. A few months after the Passover feast, Peter used Psalm to defend himself before the Jewish leaders. When Peter and John healed a lame man at the temple, they were brought before the leaders of the Sanhedrin and asked to give an accounting of the power and authority by which the miracle was performed.

Peter was clear and direct in his answer:. Then Peter referred to Psalm , verse 22 , which these Jewish leaders knew well, having sung the verse in the context of the Passover a few months earlier:.

Just as Peter was able to bear testimony through the use of a hymn, so our hymns allow us to bear testimony. May I close with one of my favorite stories, which illustrates the power of hymns in testimony bearing. This story concerns a young girl, the fourth child in a family of six children. Her name is Heather. Three of the children, including Heather, suffered from a rare disease called glutaric acidemia.

In each case, the onset of the disease occurred during the first year of life when an enzyme attacked the brain, causing paralysis. The disease results in acid forming in the muscles similar to that which occurs following a period of intense physical activity.

The problem faced by the children was that the acid never leaves and causes great pain. Cindy, the first child with the disease, died at the age of She was one of the oldest living persons known with the disease. At death she weighed about 40 pounds. As she grew, she was confined to a wheelchair, was unable to speak, and could send messages only with her eyes. A direct gaze and a smile meant yes.

A blink meant no. Despite the handicaps, one could feel her vibrant spirit. As Heather progressed, it became obvious to her parents that she was extraordinarily bright. She would play guessing games with the family using her limited means to communicate. When she was old enough, the parents enrolled Heather in a special school to see if she could learn to speak. The teacher was a gifted therapist. One morning as Heather and the teacher visited about the prior weekend, the teacher learned that Heather had attended Primary.

But what was the song? The teacher sang all the songs she could think of, but to no avail. However, Heather was not about to quit; she wanted to share her favorite song. At the end of the day, the two were still searching. The teacher agreed to bring her songbooks to school the next day.

On the following morning, Heather and her teacher continued the quest. By Simon Lole Songs of Praise conductor, composer, arranger and organist. For almost two thousand years, Christians have used music as a way to worship. Originally these would have been written in honour of the Gods. Hymnody the singing or composition of hymns has evolved and changed over the centuries and been affected by new thinking and developing religious beliefs: throughout the history of the church, whenever there has been renewal, revival or restoration, new songs of worship have appeared.

It was sung in Latin and most often by monastic choirs. But in the 16th century, church goers were given much greater access to hymns as a result of the invention of the printing press and the influential German theologian, Martin Luther, who began encouraging people to sing together in congregations.

In England the non-conformist minister Isaac Watts began a transformation of congregational singing. Watts believed strongly that hymns should express the religious feelings of the people and he became a prolific writer, creating hundreds of new hymns. For a distinctly Wesleyan perspective on hymns and other elements of Christian life, we can turn to the Wesley Study Bible. This resource was written by a panel of Bible scholars from the wider Wesleyan Methodist family.

The following is a note on Col Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

The people of God are a people of song. Moses and Miriam sang following the Exodus; at the reign of God in the time to come, new songs will be sung. God is the recipient of these songs; yet God is also the one who provides and motivates the song. The Wesleys acknowledged the triune God as both the source of inspiration and the subject for the thousands of hymns they produced. Hymn singing has always been a part of methodist worship, whether with the family, in small groups, or in the congregation.

Hymns convey our adoration, thanksgiving, and gratitude of God. They allow us to express to God our own condition: the depth of our longing after God, our petitions and prayers, our joys and triumphs, our lamentation and sorrow.

Hymns and the exercise of singing can bring about, cultivate, and increase the necessary Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. The Wesley Study Bible appeals to those in and outside the Methodist tradition.