After rightfully saying there was nothing in Amazing Grace that a Buddhist couldn’t sing in last weeks Sunday school class, my pastor drew up twelve criteria that should be used to judge the hymnody with a short introduction;
Here’s the basic criteria I use in evaluating and selecting hymns for the Divine service: the more questions you can answer with “yes”, the better the hymn. The fewer yes” answers, the weaker the hymn is, and if there is not one, single “yes” to any of these questions, it’s really not a hymn we need to sing…
1) Is the Crucified and Risen Christ Jesus the indispensable center of the hymn?
2) Does the hymn clearly proclaim Christ’s vicarious satisfaction as the sinner’s salvation?
3) Is the hymn grounded on a clear, Scriptural text?
4) Does the hymn point us clearly to the Church’s ministry of word and Sacrament as the place where we surely receive Christ’s gifts?
5) Does the hymn make clear that it is entirely Christ’s work alone that saves us without works, responses, or proper feelings of our own?
6) Does the hymn make clear that the faith which alone justifies is not a human work, but a free gift given by God’s choosing of us (not our choosing of Him), in Christ Jesus, through Word and Sacrament?
7) If the hymn speaks of the Christians response to Christ’s gifts, does it make clear that it is what Christ does for us and not what we do for Him that is the center of the Church’s life and mission? Does it make clear that sanctification is as much by faith alone as is justification?
8) Has the hymn been properly tested and tried by the Lutheran Church?
9) Does the hymn inspire in us a hunger and thirst for the things of Christ Jesus and His Kingdom that is coming?
10) Does the hymn drive you clearly, unerringly to the sound doctrine of Christ Jesus rather than merely let you free associate it’s words with sound teaching?
11) Does the tune bear repeated singing? That is, could you sing it twenty times in a row and not feel sick to your stomach?
12) Is it a hymn that the congregation knows or can sing with some choir support?
I have the distinct feeling that my favorite Latin hymn; In A Gadda Da Vida by I. Ron Butterfly will probably not pass muster using my pastor’s stringent criteria listed above. I will also go out on a limb and say my favorite contemporary Christian music band Faith + 1 also won’t be played during the Divine Service either. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to “settle” for Paul Gerhardt or Philipp Nicholai.
So does this pass that test?
ReplyDeleteFrom Fathers Past Who Saw the Bride’s Dear Need
From fathers past who saw the Bride’s dear need
To be preserved from those who sew false seed,
That heretics might not to danger lead,
Those gone before have left for us the Creed.
To know who made all good that comes to be
Confess the Father who wrought land and sea,
Who earth and heaven fashioned graciously,
Almighty God, the Head of Deity.
Yet stood before him we are surely lost,
Condemned in sin and black with selfish dross.
So we confess his gift of priceless cost:
His only son who died upon the cross.
Born of the virgin, buried in the grave,
While Pilate washed his hands and sealed the cave,
The Christ arose, to death no more a slave,
Instead, our Judge, who comes his own to save!
Till then he sits on God’s own royal throne,
His Spirit sending that he may be known
By Sacrament, by Word, by inner groan,
And raise us up at last to take us home.
This is the cath’lic faith, the Christian’s plea:
“The Father sent his Son to die for me.
The Spirit, by the Word, forgives, sets free!”
Oh, Triune God! Oh, holy Trinity!