Coach's Original Musiquarium, Day 3
My national church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is in the midst a fierce fight which is splitting the body in two. This fight has divided congregations, church leaders, even members of my classes at the Gettysburg Seminary have come down on one side or the other and will not budge. It is not over the role of women, or homosexual rights. It is something much, much more important.
It is a new hymnal.
Not quite two years ago, the ELCA introduced the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book. It is to replace the Lutheran Book of Worship that was published in 1978. But some people resist change, and rejected the book out of hand. Some people were willing to accept change, but they found too many things were different, and rejected the book. Some congregations tried the book, but found some of their favorite hymns were missing or changed, and have begrudgingly accepted the book. Some people have embraced the book and it’s changes, flaws and all.
I attended a seminar in February of 2006 back in Michigan when the ELW was introduced. Many of the changes in worship music were presented so that we could hear and sing along. We also got to hear many of the new songs that were included in the ELW. One new song that I fell in love with was a song designed to be sung when the offering is being presented. The first and last verses are as follows:
Accept O Lord, the gifts we bring to place upon your table,
We do not worship as we ought but only as we’re able.
Our hopes and dreams, out toils and cares we lift in prayer before you,
Lord, by your grace, now come to us, as humbly we adore you.
Those words hit me like a hammer. We cannot honor God as we should. We will fall short. But we can only try to do what is right and what is good. Then we must pray that our meager efforts are pleasing to God.
The people we encounter here in the hospital are also confronting change; a change in their lives or the lives of their loved ones. They may resist the change, but unlike a new hymnal, they cannot reject it. At least not without going into an unhealthy state of denial. They may understand and accept the change, but may find there are too many changes going on. Some will mourn the loss of the familiar. Some understand that change is inevitable.
We do not do anything, whether it is worshipping or accepting change in our lives, as we ought to. But while we only do what we are able to do, our God loves us anyway.
Well, there's not a YouTube version of this hymn being sung, but I can tell you that this hymn was written by Beth Bergeron Folkemer, who happens to be the mother of one of my classmates. The family has a Celtic band, Cormorant's Fancy, and I figured I could at least plug the band.
It is a new hymnal.
Not quite two years ago, the ELCA introduced the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book. It is to replace the Lutheran Book of Worship that was published in 1978. But some people resist change, and rejected the book out of hand. Some people were willing to accept change, but they found too many things were different, and rejected the book. Some congregations tried the book, but found some of their favorite hymns were missing or changed, and have begrudgingly accepted the book. Some people have embraced the book and it’s changes, flaws and all.
I attended a seminar in February of 2006 back in Michigan when the ELW was introduced. Many of the changes in worship music were presented so that we could hear and sing along. We also got to hear many of the new songs that were included in the ELW. One new song that I fell in love with was a song designed to be sung when the offering is being presented. The first and last verses are as follows:
Accept O Lord, the gifts we bring to place upon your table,
We do not worship as we ought but only as we’re able.
Our hopes and dreams, out toils and cares we lift in prayer before you,
Lord, by your grace, now come to us, as humbly we adore you.
Those words hit me like a hammer. We cannot honor God as we should. We will fall short. But we can only try to do what is right and what is good. Then we must pray that our meager efforts are pleasing to God.
The people we encounter here in the hospital are also confronting change; a change in their lives or the lives of their loved ones. They may resist the change, but unlike a new hymnal, they cannot reject it. At least not without going into an unhealthy state of denial. They may understand and accept the change, but may find there are too many changes going on. Some will mourn the loss of the familiar. Some understand that change is inevitable.
We do not do anything, whether it is worshipping or accepting change in our lives, as we ought to. But while we only do what we are able to do, our God loves us anyway.
Well, there's not a YouTube version of this hymn being sung, but I can tell you that this hymn was written by Beth Bergeron Folkemer, who happens to be the mother of one of my classmates. The family has a Celtic band, Cormorant's Fancy, and I figured I could at least plug the band.
Comments