H
ymns touch us deeply. Just how much became obvi- ous when The Lutheran asked for readers’ favorite hymns and hundreds of responses poured in—with few duplications.
Even the most popular had no more than five mentions each: “Abide With Me”; “Children of the Heavenly Father”; “Amaz- ing Grace”; “A Mighty Fortress”; “Beautiful Savior”; “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry”; “Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart”; and “My Life Flows On In Endless Song.”
And as people shared the hymns
that made a difference in their lives, they often attached sheet music, lyr- ics, historical background or ranked lists of favorites. One, Gayle Moyer of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Tel- ford, Pa., sent a photo of her license plate: “HYMN-LVR.”
Per Harling, a Church of Sweden pastor who wrote “You Are Holy” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 525), said hymns shape our theol- ogy; bring generations together; give voice to prayer, praise and lament; and bring us into “worship with those who have been, with those who are and with those who will be members of the Christian church. “[There may be] no more
burglary-safe possession [than a hymn and song] we know by heart. Hymn texts are usually the kind of
George Weller has a dozen favorites, including “For All the Saints” (the version with William Howe’s origi- nal words); “Be Still” as sung by The Fray; “Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart”; and “O Happy Day” (Edwin Hawkins). Weller, an acoustic guitarist, also enjoys playing hymns for Grace Lutheran Church, Hastings, Mich.: “Lord Thee I Love with All My Heart,” “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bonds” and “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee.”
texts to live and die on. Very few people have died with a sermon on their lips, but many have a memo- rized hymn text in their very last life moment.”
Light in darkness
Many readers told of the hope that hymns brought to ill or dying loved ones or their family and friends. “It’s been a rough stretch for our congregation, with sickness and trag- edy falling on many beloved mem- bers,” wrote Charles Strietelmeier, pastor of Augustana Lutheran, Hobart, Ind. “We’ve [needed] nour- ishing hymns to sustain our spirits [like] the ardent simple joy of ‘Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song’ (ELW, 808).”
Karen Taylor, music director
of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Lakewood, Calif., wrote about a trip home in 2006 to help her par- ents: “Mom was exhausted. Dad had suffered from Parkinson’s and congestive heart failure for 10 years; walking, talking and swallowing had become nearly impossible.” Taylor’s mother apologized for not being able to sing hymns together due to her father’s illness. “I suggested we try anyway, and Mom chose ‘Abide with Me’ (ELW, 629). To our surprise, Dad perked up and sang along. Mom and I were moved to tears by the sound of his long- disabled but still beautiful voice,” she said.
Music and grief have been Eliza- beth Damico’s companions from an early age after her mother’s death. The church musician at Holden Vil- lage, Chelan, Wash., said in seasons of doubt, “my mouth cannot say the
For a study guide, see page 26. To read “Hymn festivals and the congregation’s song”; “Try this: Children and hymns”; “Building a hymnal;’ “Stories behind the songs”; and “What to use?” find this story at
www.thelutheran. org/feature/may.
words; my heart aches too much to hope; and my mind is overcrowded with questions and cynicism. Yet somehow, my hands believe.” After his “strong and brave”
brother-in-law committed suicide, Kyle Debertin, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Watertown, S.D., drew strength at the funeral from contemporary Christian musician Chris Rice’s “Come to Jesus.” “In the midst of the numbness, surrounded by his fellow firefight- ers and National Guard soldiers, every word of ‘Come to Jesus’ … reminded me of Christ’s presence with Dan as he was alone in his garage that final day,” Debertin wrote. “Post-traumatic stress disor- der is real and strong, but so is the loving grace of Jesus.”
Readers often found strength with the gathered community. Three days after her parents died in a car acci- dent, organist Laura Stransky, Christ the King Lutheran, Durango, Colo., and her husband attended the All Saints Day service. As the congrega- tion sang, Stransky played “For All the Saints” (ELW, 422). “Some peo- ple were amazed that my husband and I came to church that day, but we needed to be there,” she said.
Comfort, in times of fear Vanessa von Phul, Messiah Lutheran Church, Weatherford, Texas, doesn’t remember the helicopter ride or that she made the evening news. “My gentle mare spooked, bucked, bolted and slammed me face-first into a steel fence,” she said.
During months of recovery, “I
felt small, helpless and ashamed of [my] judgment errors,” she said. “The Spirit sang me to sleep when
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