Now I remember... The Baptist Hymnal
by Scott Pace
What ever happened to singing out of the hymnal? Last week I was watching the TV and caught the church service of a big mega church from somewhere up north. Over 2000 church goers singing from a JumboTron. For those of you who don’t know exactly what a JumboTron is, it’s a large super-size television screen. Now don’t get me wrong, JumboTron’s work well at Super bowl games or Garth Brooks concerts. But I feel church singing should be left to the hymn book…where God put it!
Now I’ve never been able to read music. I can’t tell you an F sharp from a G minor. But growing up a preacher’s kid and attending church all the time, what I have learned to do, when it comes to singing, is to follow the dots. If the dots (notes) go up… sing higher, when the dots go down… sing lower. The jumbothrons of today’s’ churches only show the words…no dots.
Speaking of being a preacher’s kid, I was constantly asked growing up if I was going to “follow in my father’s footsteps” and go in the ministry. At one time I considered becoming a song leader (we call them Ministers of Music now) I figured you only had to work a couple days a week and you didn’t have to come up with any original material (it all comes from the song book). The fact that I couldn’t sing a lick never entered my mind. I did entertain the idea of becoming a television evangelist at one time (much to father’s chagrin). It looked to me that was where all the money was. I had even mastered the art of crying on demand and could pronounce Jesus as a four syllable word. However in my college days I started losing my hair. Everyone knows all good television evangelists have beautiful full heads of wavy hair. Television evangelism was out!
Turning from page to page, the hymn book gave us something to do with our hands too. Men would hold the hymn book for their wives and daughters. When I was a kid, setting up in the church balcony, sometimes I would get lucky and get to hold the song book for sweet young lady seating beside me. I’m not sure it was good manners or hormones, I just know I liked standing real close so we both could read along. Man, do I miss that hymn book singing.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, change is all around us. I read the other day the Church of Christ folks are considering allowing musical instruments in their services. The Methodists allowed women preachers some time back. Why even in my own Baptist Church we sing mostly today’s praise and worship songs. I like the old stuff myself, Amazing Grace, Standing on the Promises, How Great Thou Art. My mother use to rock us kids to sleep to “Love Lifted Me”. No JumboTrons, no live bands, just mom singing… the sweetest music on earth.
The Bible says that there will be continuous singing in heaven…with my luck they’ll set me right in front of the JumboTron!
Scott Pace, author of “Now I remember…” celebrates hometown values and small town life from his rural Oklahoma roots.
