Serious music worship leaders are not trying to
lead a congregational musical event but rather a time of valuable musing
(thinking). We all know that the majority
of great hymn text were written first as lyric poetry and then later were set
to a tune. I doubt that any thinking
church musician would deny that they have great value as poems. Perhaps we consider the reading of poetry to
be a task undertaken only by those who gather to partake of tea and crumpets
and recite the works of dead poets. So,
since we know that quoting this great poetry skillfully can have a positive
effect on a worshiping body of believers as well as being a form of catechism
to those who are unchurched, why not practice up on our dramatic reading skills
and give this form of hymn usage a try?
There is another point that should be considered
in our discussion of quoting hymn texts.
I remember my former pastor Rev. R.E. Carroll saying that he often took
not only his Bible but also his hymnal to his trysting place with God. We pray out loud so why shouldn’t we read hymns
out loud during our time of devotion. It
is a fact that praying out loud keeps my mind from wondering during my time of
private devotion. Quoting hymns from memory or reading them during private
devotions can be a wonderful experience.
Telling God how you feel or what troubles you by reading to Him can be
an expression of prayer and praise.
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