Newsletter Article: Hymns Teach the Faith

One of the great blessings which the Lord has provided to the Church is her rich collection of hymnody. Pastor Steven Starke, who helped assemble Lutheran Service Book (LSB), writes, “A hymn is a combination of dogma (theology) and doxa (praise) for worshipers to sing in a corporate setting.” In other words, hymns take the Word of God and put it into a form to be sung. For nearly two-thousand years the Church has been assembling hymns to the glory of God in the name of Jesus. If you flip through the pages of Lutheran Service Book, you will, for example, see hymns from approximately two-hundred years after the birth of Jesus (LSB 864: “Shepherd of Tender Youth”), 400 AD (LSB 384: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”), 800 AD (LSB 442: “All Glory, Laud and Honor”), 1100 AD (LSB 554: “O Jesus, King Most Wonderful”), 1500 (LSB 656: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”), and even from men and women who are alive today (LSB 624: “The Infant Priest Was Holy Born”). This collection of hymns grows daily. If all you do is consider the more than 600 hymns in our current hymnal and compare that collection with the hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH), you can’t help but notice that some hymns that were in the old hymnal are not in the new hymnal (TLH 607: “Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning”), and some of hymns from the new hymnal, though written hundreds of years ago, weren’t included in the old hymnal (LSB 594: “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It”, which wasn’t even translated into English until after TLH was released)—and indeed, some of the hymns in the new hymnal weren’t even written when the old hymnal was assembled. This collection of hymns comes from Christians of every time and place, and it will continue to grow as long as long as there is one Christian who wishes to sing praise to God.

It was my privilege to attend a recent conference for the writers of hymns. Dr. Joseph Herl, a professor at Concordia University, Nebraska, opened his presentation by asking, “How many of you remember a sermon you heard when you were a child?” None of us raised our hands. Then he asked, “How many of you remember any hymn you sang as a child?” Every person in the room raised a hand. The point was not to belittle the staying power of sermons. Instead the presenter was making a point about the long-term impact of hymns. Hymns are so much easier to remember than sermons. You hear a sermon, whereas you sing a hymn. You usually only hear a sermon once, whereas you sing hymns over and over again. Don’t get me wrong: it is very important to listen to the sermon. After all, “Faith comes by hearing.” But even the best of sermons are hard to remember. Hymns, on the other hand, you carry with you. The music, the marriage of music and text, and the repetition all aid in memorization. And once you’ve memorized a hymn (or anything else, for that matter), what you’ve memorized becomes part of you for the rest of your life.

That memorization becomes important for two reasons. First, do you remember that definition of a hymn? It is “a combination of dogma (theology) and doxa (praise)…” That makes hymns a valuable tool for teaching the faith. In the same way that we have our children memorize Luther’s Small Catechism so that it may grow with them throughout their lives, hymns helps take that theology and put it into language that aids memorization and understanding. Do you want to learn about the Incarnation (Jesus in the flesh)? Sing “Savior of the Nations, Come” (LSB 332, vv.2-3), in which we learn:

Not by human flesh and blood,
By the Spirit of our God,
Was the Word of God made flesh—
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Here a maid was found with child,
Yet remained a virgin mild.
In her womb this truth was shown:
God was there upon His throne.

Teaching your children about the Communion of Saints? Sing “For All the Saints” (LSB 677, vv.1,4):   

For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confess,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine,
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

I could go on, but you get the point. Good hymns teach good theology. (That’s also why I am so careful in choosing hymns: bad hymns teach bad theology or no theology at all. Bad hymns give Satan a voice in the very house of God!)

That memorization also becomes important in times of trial. Martin Luther wrote in his Large Catechism, “What does it mean to have a god? Or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress. … That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.” I was in a car accident in 1997. I don't remember much about that evening. But in what could be considered “the valley of the shadow of death,” when I was terrified as I rested on a gurney in an ambulance, on a day of which I remember precious little, I remember praying parts of the liturgy, including the Lord's Prayer. I remember singing “Abide With Me” and other hymns. These gifts, these treasures which so many in the Church disregard with nary a thought, took me to the feet of my Savior in the midst of tribulation. The hymns, the liturgy, tools that I had memorized, stuck with me in a dark hour.

And that’s just everyday life. What happens when the day of persecution comes? What happens when preaching the Word of God becomes a hate crime and your pastor is imprisoned for doing what you have Called him to do? During the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), Lutheran laypeople could not count on having Lutheran pastors. Every time an army passed through and took over their town, the authorities would install clergy who held to their confession of faith, whether Lutheran or Roman. This could happen several times in a year! One Lutheran pastor wrote to his congregation, “You should assemble yourselves together at arranged times with your children and domestics, consult your collections of sermons and other pure books, [let] the Word [of God] live richly among you, and let your prayers and singing of psalms sound out in consolation.” In the Soviet Union, the faithful had no faithful clergy, no churches, no Bibles, no hymnals. Even so, the Church survived and even flourished because they maintained an oral tradition of the Christian Faith.

Along with your Bible and the Catechism, your hymnal is one of the most important tools you carry with you in your life in Christ. The hymns of the Church are your songs. The faith, the Word of God they teach: this is your faith; this is the Word of God for you. The God they praise is your God. God grant that the Word, taught in Scripture, taught in the Catechism, taught in sermons, taught in the liturgy, and taught in the hymns of the Church, dwell in you richly—in good times and bad, in joy and in persecution—even unto death.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

"Sing a hymn to Christ as to God"

The panel of speakers

I was fortunate and honored to be selected to attend The Sung Confession: Lutheran Hymnwriting in the 21st Century, a conference of hymn writers this week. The conference took place at the Toddhall Retreat and Conference Center in Columbia, Illinois. If you read my blog--which you must, if you're reading this--then you know that I've been writing hymns for about three and a half years now. Some of them are dross; some...well, some may not be dross after a great deal of editing. A large number of people submitted three hymns for evaluation and consideration, and (because of financial limitations) of those hopefuls only thirty were selected after the evaluation process to attend the conference. 

After taking some time to let everything sink in, I have a few thoughts to share.

The Presentations

The meat of the conference was provided by our presenters. Meat it was, and not cotton candy, with which they fed us over the three days.

• The presentations opened with Dr. Joe Herl on What Works and What Doesn't: Lessons from the Hymnal. He opened his presentation with an interesting premise, and I'm paraphrasing because I don't remember his exact words. It was something like, "The church's song has a longer-term impact on our peoples' theology than her sermons do." He asked how many of us remember hymns we sang as children, and then he followed that up by asking how many of us remember sermons we heard as children. He talked about comparative strengths and weaknesses of certain hymns which spoke of similar subjects, and he emphasized the importance of imagery in hymnody. He encouraged us to examine the works of John Donne and Charles Wesley as positive examples.
• Pastor Steve Starke was next, presenting One Perspective on the Craft of Writing a Hymn Text. He began with the very helpful definition: "A hymn is a combination of doctrine (dogma) and worship (doxa) for worshipers to sing in a corporate setting." As with Dr. Herl before him, Starke emphasized the importance of vivid imagery. He also emphasized the importance of the care which goes into examining the doctrine which goes into a hymn, as false theology in hymns invite worshipers to share in and accept false perspectives. He encouraged us to examine the works of Timothy Dudley-Smith and Paul Gerhardt as positive examples. Finally, he encouraged us to offer our hymn texts for use. (In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I have, at times, been critical of Pastor Starke and his hymns. Part of that, I think, comes from unfamiliarity. Like most Lutherans, I don't like change and find myself suspicious of new things. His large imprint on Lutheran Service Book was all too easy a target for such suspicion. Sinner that I am, part of my disdain has certainly come from the demon named Competition which gnaws into my heart and leaves behind his poisonous saliva infested with the germs of jealousy. As Jesus might say, "Is your eye evil because I am good?" Having met with the man, I can say that I found him to be well-spoken, thoughtful, and willing to share his knowledge without being overbearing or displaying narcissism. I owe him an apology which I probably should have delivered in person.)
• The Reverend Doctors David Maxwell and David Schmitt presented The Nuts and Bolts of Hymn Construction. "Hymn construction" is an apt way of describing their presentation, as they spoke of syllables/meter, accent, rhyme, and progression, the actual skeleton of hymns. As a former English major and after two years of high school music theory, some of this was review for me, but applying it directly as we analyzed and broke down some hymns to examine their skeletons was an eye-opener.
• Matthew Carver presented The Art and Science of (German) (Lutheran) (Hymn) Translation. Matthew has been a blessing to the English-speaking church, translating such treasures as the four books (in two volumes) of The Great Works of God by Valerius Herberger and, more recently, Walther's Hymnal. He spoke of the advantage of using hymns that have been tested by time and circumstances, even when that means translating them into the vernacular. One who would translate must know his own language, the other language, and know the hymn itself inside and out.
• The Reverend Doctor Frederick Baue, known most commonly as Fritz, presented Lyric Poetry. Using popular poetry and song lyrics as examples, Fritz spoke about the what makes for good and memorable texts. He encouraged the reading and study of poetry. (A gifted musician, Fritz used his guitar to good advantage to aid his presentation.)
• Our last presenter was Peter Reske, managing editor of music and worship resources at Concordia Publishing House, who presented Six Lessons from a Hymnal Editor. He opened by telling us that the Church needs good hymns. He spoke of how hymnody is the intersection of three disciplines: theology, poetry, and music, and how those who would write hymns must be students of all three disciples. Writers must write; they must also read. Study hymnals and hymnology, poetry, theology, and music. He emphasized that writers must be willing to edit themselves severely--or as he quoted Arthur Quiller-Couch, "Murder your darlings." And at the end he discussed various methods of getting the hymns out into the Church. 

All in all, the presenters gave an excellent overview of the craft of writing hymns. Though each presenter nibbled at it, the only thing that was missing, I think, was a full-on theological presentation, something to round all of it out and bring it all together. That being said, I was pleased with the content we were given and plan to use their teachings to improve what I've already written and shape what I hope to write in the future.

Chapel

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the opportunities for prayer. We gathered a number of times each day for prayer offices. The services were liturgical, used directly from Lutheran Service Book. We prayed numerous psalms. We sang hymns--and sang and sang and sang! On Monday night we had a hymn sing, hymns from LSB interspersed with hymns from the conference attendees. It was scheduled to be half an hour. Pastor Weedon, who was worship leader, master of ceremonies, and head honcho for the conference, extended that to 45 minutes, and finally let it run for a full hour before we moved into Compline. The singing was glorious, often done in four-part harmony without the aid of the organ--though Dr. Herl graciously thundered out anything we selected. It was a foretaste of eternity, when we will join in the hymns of "angels and archangels and all the company of heaven."

Gemütlichkeit and free time

Whenever Lutherans get together for conferences, there is always the conference within the conference. This is where the rubber hits the road; this is where the actual work gets done, in a sense. The attendees sit around in smaller groups with beer and wine, cigars, and snacks, and they shoot the proverbial breeze. When you gather thirty attendees along with presenters and a few guests, people with diverse backgrounds, you're bound to have some interesting dynamics. Sometimes it was reunions of old friends. In other cases it was complete strangers or "internet friends" meeting for the first time. Excellent discussions, the singing of even more hymns, and the consumption of Lutheran beverages were hallmarks of our free time. (I don't think any of us will look at St. Ambrose the same way ever again. *wink*)

Overall

It would not be an exaggeration for me to say that I'm different now than I was before the conference. If you've ever been to a Higher Things conference, you probably know what I mean when I say that. When you spend an intense period of time with a group of people and learn about the Word and God's gift of song and story, you can't help but be molded, shaped, by what you've heard and seen. (By the way, that's why in-house seminary education is so vitally important.) In some ways I wish the conference had been longer, but if the truth were told, after three days my head was so stuffed with information and thoughts and...stuff, and it's going to take a while to unpack it all. 

I am very thankful to have had this opportunity, and I would like to thank those who organized it; the presenters who gave of their time and knowledge and experience; those who provided the financial backing to make it a free conference for the attendees; my fellow participants, whom I hope to get many chances to meet with and maybe even work with in the future; and my wife, family, and congregation, none of whom begrudged me the time to attend.