In our modern society, many people think that new is better, but human tradition and indeed scripture does not necessarily agree with the “new is better” philosophy.
Sure, you can sing unto the Lord a new song, and that is awesome, and very scriptural. However, nowhere are we instructed to throw away our traditions and heritage in favour of the latest fads, and that is what Christian churches are doing right around the world, especially in Western countries.
Hymns are a good example of this, and in this album of hymns we are finding something we need to rediscover, as a church and as believers. To throw away centuries of tradition, teaching and some pretty downright amazing songs is frankly ridiculous, but churches are doing this all the time in an effort to stay modern and “cutting edge.”
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ediscovering Hymns is not Heresy!
Loving hymns doesn’t mean that you hate modern songs, because there is a place for both of them, believe it or not!
While not all traditions are worthwhile, some certainly are, and perhaps our job is to learn to present the truths and blessings of older songs in a modern and exciting way that gets the younger generation excited rather than putting them to sleep.
Ignoring hymns entirely is not only throwing away tradition and heritage, it is also failing to connect with the huge number of Christians who grew up with and love these songs. Many hymns contain lyrics that are mind-blowing in their beauty and content, and for most of us the issue is not really with the songs themselves, but with the way they have been presented in the past, complete with grinding organ and mournful vocals. Consider this…
Deuteronomy 32:7:
Remember the days of old; consider generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will explain to you
Can traditional hymns be rock songs instead of funeral marches? Of course they can, and our job is to prove this!
Here’s the Top 5 Reasons Why Rediscovering Hymns will Transform your Congregation
Hymns are the Best of the Best
Modern songs come out on the latest album, and while you might like some, frankly you have no idea which songs are going to be classics and last for decades, and which will fade away in a matter of months. Sadly most do the latter, but worship leaders the world over force these new songs on their congregations, only to move on to yet another new song in a few weeks.
The hymns we have today are the ones that have proven to be he classics, the long lasting ones. Charles Wesley wrote 7,000 hymns, and Fanny Crosby wrote 9,000. Where are they all? Well, as good as these writes may be, not all of their songs were good enough.
What survives all this time later are the best of the best, and that’s why many hymns are so great as songs and/or poetry… they are the classics that have survived the test of time.
The Bring Back Memories
Many people love hymns because they bring back memories, in much he say way that people love the Beatles songs, or Frank Sinatra. They remember where they were when they last sang it, and who they were with, and it bring back joy. Not playing hymns denies a whole group of people the chance to enjoy those memories (and not all of these are old people, because many of today’s younger people rmember the hymns from their childhood!)
You Can Introduce a Whole New Generation to Some of the Best Songs Ever Written
O have sung hymns only to have young people approach me and say how much they love the words of “that new song”. I really enjoy telling them that that new song was written 200 years ago!
The hymns we sing in our presentation are incredible songs no matter what generation they were written in. I am officially the president of the Charles Wesley fan club, because that guy wrote stunning and amazing lyrics (not to mention some pretty awesome tunes), outstanding poetry in this or any generation!
It Allows You to Connect with Older Members in a way they understand
Music is a type of language, and to communicate with someone, you have to speak a language they understand. For older believers, in fact for older people churched or unchurched, hymns are a language they understand. Many have phenomenal gospel messages, so let’s use them to win souls for Christ
You Most Often Don’t Need to Reteach the Words or Tune
How many times have you caught yourself in church reading the words from the screen when you know them all really well? Lots I would imaging. If you know a song, you should close your eyes and forget reading the words you already know, instead singing them from the heart, right?
Well that’s what so many hymns are like, when you forget the screen and just sing from your heart. These are songs so many people know very well (way back in time), so many find it easy to forget everything else and just worship God with these words they remember from their childhood!
So feel free to click around and enjoy a fresh take on some old songs that we have here on our website/
And why not try rediscovering hymns in your church? If they are done well, I guarantee that you will see people worship on another level, because old is not always bad, and these old songs might just have an incredible anointing!