On Sunday evenings we are studying the psalms together. I’m planning to cover the first twenty or so. The psalms were never intended just to be read, either silently or aloud. They’re not merely poems – they are songs. The book of psalms was the hymnbook of ancient Israel. So, if aiming to get the full impact of the psalms, emotionally as well as intellectually, it’s important that we sing them together.
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I’ve been thinking about hymnbooks. And I’m not the only one.
Christians everywhere are discussing hymnbooks. In fact, they’re not just discussing hymnbooks. They’re having blazing rows about hymnbooks. Christians are leaving churches because of disagreements about hymnbooks. Churches are splitting in half because they can’t agree about hymnbooks. Pastors are being sacked because of their views on hymnbooks.
Most of the arguments are about how modern a hymnbook should be. Some Christians argue that since we live in a rapidly changing society, we need to be constantly …
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We are asking the question today “How do we assess hymns, and how do we assess hymn-books?” I hope to do three things. Firstly I want to make a general observation about singing in the New Testament. Then I want us to look at Paul’s instructions in Ephesians and Colossians. Then I want us think a little about the book of psalms.
First then, a very general point. It is simply this. Singing does …
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