Hymn #309 in Celebrating Grace Hymnal — “When in Our Music God Is Glorified”
[pullquote_center width=”60%”]So has the Church, in liturgy and song,
In faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
Borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Alleluia![/pullquote_center]
I will admit it… I’m partial. I believe that the most enduring, penetrating, impacting method of teaching any truth is music. Sit through a PTA meeting where the third graders sing a rousing rendition of the fifty states and capitals. Listen while your child learns the multiplication tables to the beat of an uptempo rap song. Music… just… works.
In the history of the Church, music has always played a prominent part of worship and transmitting theology. The apostle Paul quotes a first century hymn in his letter to the Philippian church. While widespread literacy is a relatively new phenomenon, believers have always sung the songs of faith, and so have participated in the “liturgy”, or work of the church. I often say that most of us keep in our memories some Scripture, and many hymns and songs of faith. If we are retaining most of our theology through hymns and spiritual songs, we would be wise to make sure the songs we sing in worship include the great truths of the faith.
Music endures, and the truths contained in great hymns live along with it. Great hymns, anyone?