Gathering: 10-4-15. "I like the 'old hymns.'"

I have a big-picture observation that I will enter in this journal.

First, though, yesterday was, from the way most 'churches' function, very schizoid. 

We stopped everything we were doing almost immediately after the gathering seemed to be taking direction to pray for one of the gatherers who was clearly very troubled over some things that were interfering with her ability to engage the Spirit as we were gathering.  And, all of us were blessed.

Also, the focus on truth was extremely intense, far more so than in any sermon-based setting I've ever encountered.  As usual, the focus was on the righteousness our lives produce when we are living in the world.  Specifically, we ended up on the topic of sexual righteousness in this culture and the question of how we have/would respond to an invitation to a same sex wedding.  I left that time in the truth feeling haunted, convicted and challenged, not necessarily entertained. 

I felt edified more than encouraged.

That feeling took over the bread and cup time for me, as well.

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A note about music, which we do from the 1 Corinthians 14:26 notion that everyone comes with a hymn.  Not everyone does all the time, but multiple people seem to all of the time.

I find that, like so many other people, I like the old hymns.

About three decades ago, when I was at Enola, I had to deal with a lot of griping over music.  You might call it a proto-worship war, somewhat ahead of its time.

We had an older woman who was a regular complainer--about everything that came to mind.  But, she was particularly crabby about the music sung in "worship."

I met with her in her home.  She's the first person I ever heard say, "I like the old hymns."

So, I got out the hymnal and checked the dates of the hymns and made a list of the oldest--from the 1400, 1500 and 1600s, and I instructed the person who chose the music to pick out music from that list.

What clunkers, for the most part!

Then I talked to the complainer again.

It turns out that she didn't like the "old hymns."  She liked the hymns that were popular when she was in her teens.

And, most of who have a church background that goes back to our youth are just like this woman.  Most of us are not as critical and verbal about it as she was.

I've been thinking about this in terms of my own taste.

I grew up in a rather highly liturgical church and, not surprisingly, most of my favorite church music is music I learned as a child.

I've realized that much of my favorite church music comes from Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley.  Hit writer number three on my list is far more contemporary:  Fanny Crosby, whose songs were on gospel music albums my parents played on the stereo which was the most ornate piece of furniture in our living room when I was a child.

In our Sunday gathering, I am actually the one who has the oldest taste in the old hymns and I am free to bring an old hymn request to our gathering. 

Others groove on contemporary music, much from the post 2000 era.

But, I don't sense that there is any worship war problem because, as was the case in the early church, no one has control over the music.  Everyone, living in the Spirit, participates.

That was good enough for the Apostle Paul and it's good enough for us.