Singing the songs of our souls

I had the honor, because I believe it is a great honor, to perform a funeral about two weeks ago. The family was connected to one of the churches I serve at, but because of illness and the fact that I only preach at their church every other month or so, I had not actually met them. In preparing the service we attempt to honor the requests of the departed and play the old hymns he loved so much. As I met with the family and talked with them we decided there should be another congregational hymn. The family was not sure what to have and so asked me. Because of his love of gardening I picked "Hymn of Promise" by Natalie Sleeth. It was not an old hymn like the others they had chosen, but it fit beautifully. Over the last several months I have assisted at a number of funerals and heard many of the old favorites over and over again. Each generation has its different old favorites. If I was planning my funeral service today "Hymn of Promise" would be my number one choice. I love songs like "Amazing Grace" and "Great is Thy Faithfulness" but for songs that really speak to me, many of the newer songs come out on top. Each of us has our own songs that speak to our souls. I think it is our job to find ways to sing those songs authentically.

One of the things I really liked from my many different worship experiences when I was at a conference in Kansas City was the way young musicians have managed to reclaim old hymns for a new generation. Not that these hymns have anything wrong with them as they are, but a different sound to them enlivens them for a new audience of listeners. As the pastor of what I think is a legitimate multi-generational worship service, we need to find a way that does music authentic to us. Our worship services needs to find the songs of its own soul. The "worship wars" between "traditional" and "contemporary" are played out in the constant tension of both playing songs which speak to our older members and songs which speak to our younger members. I know for me the theological depth of the hymns speaks more to me than much of the newer praise songs. At the same time, I crave a lively beat over the slower pace of an organ. As Light of the Lakes UMC looks to move forward, and I as I think about what I want in a worship service, I think we need to find what the songs of our own souls are singing and make sure our worship reflects and speaks to our deeper needs. Its different for each congregation, it is different for each individual, but we each need to find those songs that speak to us and sing them, from our souls if not our lips.