I was in church on Sunday when I realized something. People don’t sing the hymns not because they don’t know the words or because they are too old-fashioned, but because they are too lazy. I know this may sound harsh, but stick with me because as usual I think that I am right.
Our church sings at least one hymn every Sunday. It used to be the 3rd song in the rotation, but now it is the first. I know it is because more people participate in the “praise & worship” songs. I put that in quotes because any song that you sing to God is praise and worship, but people like to make up titles and categories so that is what I will call it. It makes sense to put those songs at the end because people who come late can join in with no problem. Most of those songs are only 4 lines that are repeated over and over in different keys and tempos ad nauseam. It is not that I don’t enjoy them, but even the most devout person would have to admit that many times we sound like that annoying kid who just keeps calling your name for no reason. We just keep saying, “Jesus, Jesus”, but we don’t really have anything to say to Him. We are just calling His name because we like how it sounds. Think about it, accept it, and let’s move on.
So I walked into church early this Sunday and headed for my home in the balcony. I saw a woman that I am pretty sure that I have seen before, but not in a while. I tend to remember people who don’t speak and then act real “holy”. I said, “Good morning” and she looked and half smiled with some kind of 4-finger wave. I sat down and tried to get my mind right because the last place I want to lose it is in church, even though in hindsight that may be the best place to get it all out. At least then there is only a short walk to the altar. Getting back to the point, the music started and I started singing one of my favorite hymns. (We sang a lot of hymns in the church I grew up in and it always makes me feel good when I hear them now. Especially obscure ones.)
Before they begin singing they always ask that those who are able stand and participate in this part of service. I am not usually on time and often come in during the singing and get funny looks from people like the “very holy” woman sitting next to me because I don’t walk in singing and clapping, but instead I sit, get my bearings and then proceed. So imagine my surprise when I looked me my right and saw that her holiness was not only sitting, but not singing either. Now this would have made sense if she did not have access to the words, but there they were posted on the huge video monitors staring her directly in the face in a size so large that I can see from the balcony with my naked eyes with vision so bad that I was once banned from driving in my home state without my glasses.
I am not quick to judge and decided to go with the theory that maybe this was just not a great day for her. You never know what a person is going through and let’s be honest about this – she shouldn’t have to sing if she doesn’t feel like it. I don’t like to fake it at church and don’t think she should have to either. The hymn ended and some 4 line worship song intro began. She immediately stood up and not in that “this is my jam” kind of way. It was more of an “I can worship now that the worship music has started” thing. I also saw that many of the people who were just standing and not singing during the hymn were all of a sudden “overwhelmed” by the Spirit. That kind of fakery just burns my biscuits. I’m not saying it is impossible, but I find it hard to believe that you went from biting your nails into full on eyes closed swaying praise in 5 seconds. It is an impressive thought, but not quite believable.
A hymn is defined as a song of praise to God, but a typical church hymn usually includes 4 or 5 verses and chorus. It will sometimes contain some outdated verbiage and instructions on how to sing the refrain in between verse 1 and 3. They are full of Biblical reference and the stories/experiences of those who wrote them. In comparison, today’s praise songs are the equivalent of Cliff’s Notes. You get the overall picture and message of the hymn, but without the trouble of reading the whole book.
That seems to be what we want these days. It is another way to maximize our limited time, right? Why sing a whole hymn when we could just sing a 2 line chorus for 3 minutes. I venture to say that we are continuing to do ourselves a disservice by only embracing the “hyped-up praise” mentality. A lot is lost in the disregard for quiet moments. It is like those people who instead of reading the Bible they pick out the verses they like and then they only read half of that and then try to build a life on it. You miss a lot when you just hit the highlights.
I think that what I saw Sunday is just an example of how the greater society as a whole is always looking for the quick fix. The easy pill diet plan or the app that will take care of it for us. We don’t need a 5 verse hymn when we can just as easily sing a 4 line chorus. Who needs to read a novel when I could just watch the movie? Who even needs to watch to movie when I am sure there is a summary on Wikipedia?
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