Church

“Many Christians grow up in church, but never grow in Christ. They know hymns, but do they know Him.” (Anonymous)

Music can set the entire mood for someone’s church service experience. Unfortunately, today the popular “feel good” worship music that almost every church often uses takes the place of the timeless hymns of faith that everyone should be acquainted with.

A hymn is a sacred poem addressed to God, intended to be sung  by a church congregation. The term “hymn” is derived from the Greek hymnos meaning a “festive song or ode in praise of gods or heroes.”

The singing or composition of hymns is called hymnody while a writer of hymns is known as a hymnodist. A collection of hymns is called a hymnal or hymnary. A student of hymnody is called a hymnologist, and the scholarly study of hymns, hymnists, and hymnody is hymnology.

The earliest references to Christian hymnody come in the New Testament. Two references are made in the gospels (Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26), likely referring to the singing of the Psalms. Hymnody is also mentioned in Acts 16:25, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, and James 5:13. Below are the top 25 hymns sung in churches (in order of importance):

1.    How Great Thou Art

2.    Great Is Thy Faithfulness

3.    Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine

4.    All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

5.    Holy, Holy, Holy

6.    Jesus Paid It All

7.    Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

8.    Crown Him with Many Crowns

9.    It Is Well with My Soul

10.To God Be the Glory

11.The Solid Rock

12.Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

13.I Stand Amazed in the Presence

14.Victory in Jesus

15.Nothing but the Blood

16.Amazing Grace! How Sweet the Sound

17.Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

18.At the Cross

19.Revive Us Again

20.Be Thou My Vision

21.Because He Lives

22.Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

23.A Mighty Fortress is Our God

24.For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

25.America, the Beautiful

Why are hymns important to the church? Here are some reasons:

Hymns keep us in touch with our Christian heritage: "A Mighty Fortress" takes us back to the Reformation and allows us to hear the words of Martin Luther. "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" exposes us to the music of Beethoven and lets us drink in the melodic mastery of one of the great composers of church history. The hymns of Charles Wesley immerse us in the spirit of revival. Depending on our denominational heritage, the hymns you sing remind you of church history, and our doctrinal characteristics. Without hymns you would lose touch with your past.

Hymns expose you to some of the greatest music ever written: "How Great Thou Art" comes from a Swedish folk melody. "Be Still, My Soul" is Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia." Hymns set before you music from other centuries with some going back as many as 800 or more years while others while others date from the turn of the century, and still others (in the newest hymnals) come from the present decade. With all their advantages, many modern worship songs lack that rich, broad musical variety and heritage.

Hymns give worship a sense of majesty and beauty: 

Though worship has become more personal and intimate, there is still a place for being deeply moved by God’s majesty. Some choruses achieve this goal remarkably. Hymns convey thoughts splendidly. Who can ever forget having sung Jack Hayford’s hymn, "Majesty” for the first time? The sense of God's greatness is called to mind by such hymns as "How Great Thou Art," or the deep appreciation beckoned by "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."

Hymns implant Christian truths in your mind and heart: Some say they can't memorize; as a result they seldom attempt to commit the Bible in their hearts. Without your even realizing it, the hymns do that task for you. Christians who couldn't quote 10 verses of scripture could easily sing dozens of hymns that are based on or directly drawn out of scripture. There many Christian concepts tucked away in your mind ready to be pulled out when you need them. They were put there by the repeated singing of hymns. Thanks to your hymns you know that God is faithful. He provides a firm foundation for your life that you should "Take Time to Be Holy," and that God's love will not let you go. Hymns teach new truth every time you sing them.

Singing hymns is one of the most effective ways the church has of teaching Christian doctrine: Systematic theology is often communicated in a dull, dry way. If you announce that you're going to preach a series of sermons on the attributes of God, many people will find that rather boring. If you conceive and build a well-implemented thematic service around each of the attributes of God, and let hymns do the teaching, people will learn about God without knowing they're being exposed to systematic theology. Who could sing a hymn without gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of our heavenly Father?

Hymns contribute to the depth of our Christian experience: Choruses tend to appeal to the emotional side of the worshiper. The hymns excite our emotions as well as our minds; as a result, even our emotional response is deeper. You can't reach much deeper into eternal truth than when you understand the God found in Walter C. Smith's "Immortal, Invisible."

"Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise

Hymns help you to lift our hearts to God: Hymns take you out of your problems of the present moment, and into the throne room of God's majesty. There, along with Isaiah the prophet, you cry out, "I have seen the King, the Lord of heaven’s armies." (Isaiah 6:5, ICB)

Hymns exalt and magnify the Lord Jesus Christ: The hymn-writers had an encounter with Christ that had to be explained and shared. They put the very heart of their experience into their hymns. Many of Charles Wesley's hymns once had several more verses than you sing today. Some of the stanzas were so personal to the writer himself that they can hardly be sung by anyone else. Listen to the intensely personal nature of the first stanza of Wesley's "And Can It Be?"

"And can it be that I should gain

An int'rest in the Savior's blood!

Died He for me, who caused His pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Hymns do more than other resources to help you actually worship God: The power of hymns is such that you can't be exposed to them with an open heart without worship taking place. The hymns, carefully planned and scheduled in worship, pave the way for great preaching, giving the message a better chance of making a lasting impact. Without the hymns, some preacher’s sermons would not have the same impact on their congregation. You need the choruses of worship and praise. They excite the emotions, lift your spirits, and help release you to glorify the Lord. You also need the great hymns. They expand the mind, illuminate the understanding, and excite the soul.

Hymns expose us to superb poetry, with the most beautiful words ever written: Consider the lyrics of Katharina von Schlegel’s hymn, "Be Still, My Soul":

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to thy God to order and provide.

In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: the best thy heav'nly Friend

Thro' thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 “Good hymns are an immense blessing to the church. They train people for Heaven where praise is one of the principal occupations.” (JC Ryle)[i]

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[i] Adapted from:

·       “9 Things You Should Know About Christian Hymns” by Joe Carter

·       “Top 25 Hymns Sung in Churches” by Thom Rainer

·       “Ten reasons we need those great hymns” by Ministry Magazine