The Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing
Gathering together with believers and followers of Jesus Christ to sing praises to the King of Kings can be a joy-filled experience.
During the announcements in church one Sunday, the pastor mentioned there would be hymn sing that afternoon.
I knew immediately, my wife and I need to be there.
It had been a long time since I had heard a group of believers, hymnals in hand, start calling out hymn numbers of their favorites. When we were about to start, the song leader called out a number, we turned to the hymn, and our song leader led the singing. The organ and piano accompaniment transported us to a different time and place.
We stood and sang songs like “How Great Thou Art,” “Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus,” and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Traditional hymnals show the dates the hymns were written or copyrighted. I thought about the rich history and how long many of these old songs had been around. For example, Martin Luther’s “A Might Fortress Is Our God” has been around since the 1527-1529.
Do you recognize the song title, “On A Hill Far Away?” I didn’t until I looked down at the words and recognized, “The old rugged cross.”
We sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus.”
Christian music has changed a lot in recent years. There are some great praise and worship songs. Personally, I listen to a lot of contemporary Christian music when driving in my car.
I will tell you, if you want to change your attitude, look up some old hymns on YouTube and sing along. Better yet, go to an old-fashioned hymn sing. You might just break in to a chorus of “Old Time Religion” with the words, “Give me that old time religion…” written in 1873.
God bless you and yours.
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