If your family has not yet received a hymnal, make sure you pick one up today. Starting in the New Year the majority of our song selection will come from the hymnal and you are being provided one now to give your time to become familiar with it. Below is an article explaining why we are doing this.
It’s a Fighting Man’s Song Book
I want to speak for a moment about something that is too often overlooked in our churches today: the singing of hymns. In our generation, we are tempted to chase novelty, fresh songs, and catchy choruses. But I want to remind you that there is immense, eternal value in singing the old, rich hymns that have carried the church for centuries. Hymns are not merely sentimental songs; they are vehicles of gospel truth, engines of joy, and instruments of God’s glory. We sing the songs to encourage our own hearts in the walk of faith.
First, consider the content of hymns. Hymns are saturated with Scripture. They are carefully crafted, sometimes over decades, to teach and affirm the truths of God’s Word. When we sing “And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood?” we are not merely singing words; we are confessing the wonder of the gospel, the miracle of our redemption, the stupendous grace of God in saving wretches like us. Hymns are theological, doxological, and catechetical all at once. They shape our minds and our hearts in ways that fleeting modern songs cannot.
Second, hymns bind the church together across time and space. When we lift our voices together in a hymn, we join a chorus that spans generations. From the reformers to the missionaries in foreign lands, from the persecuted saints to the faithful in our own churches, we are connected in worship. Hymns remind us that our faith is not isolated; it is part of the grand story of God’s glory and the triumph of Christ. Singing together is not just an aesthetic pleasure; it is a declaration of our shared hope and a rehearsal of our eternal story.
Third, hymns stir our souls with delight in God. There is something about the beauty of a well-crafted hymn—the meter, the rhyme, the melody—that lifts our affections and directs them toward Christ. Singing hymns cultivates joy, gratitude, and awe. They help us to pray, to lament, to rejoice, and to exult in the greatness of God. In the words of the Puritans, “The chief end of singing in the church is to delight the heart in God.” Hymns are not mere decoration; they are worship, and they delight God as much as they delight us.
Finally, hymns preserve the heritage of the church. They carry the testimony of saints who lived and died for Christ, who wrestled with sin, who clung to God’s promises in suffering. By singing their words today, we remind ourselves that the gospel is not new—it is eternal. We are heirs of a faith that has been proven true through centuries of trial and triumph.
You have every reason to sing them with vigor, with devotion, with joy. Let them teach you, bind you, move you, and root you in the gospel. In them, the glory of God resounds, the joy of Christ is proclaimed, and your soul is nourished for eternity. Sing hymns, for the sake of God’s glory and the delight of your heart.