Not too long ago I posted about one of my favourite hymns. On Sunday the choir sang a hymn for the anthem. This is not our usual practice, but it was necessary as I had cancelled choir rehearsal due to a late spring blizzard (the driving was treacherous!) and the anthem we had been working was not far enough along to sing. When I choose a hymn for the choir to sing on days like that, I try to find one that is not well-known to the congregation and that was indeed the case. It was a hymn that I knew well and one that I'm not particularly fond of. Two things happened: 1) God spoke to me about my role as leader. 2) The whole situation made me reflect on why it is a hymn I don't enjoy.
About the first - as a leader, it would be easy to always/only choose music which I enjoy. God reminded me that, even though I don't particularly like a certain hymn/song, it may very well speak to someone else in the congregation. There are times when I must set aside personal bias in favour of the whole community. All of that led me to reflect on why I don't really like that hymn. It came down to association with a certain time and place. My dislike has nothing to do with the text itself.
My guess is that the same would hold true for others too. I've heard people say, and likely you have too, "I can't stand that song!" Do they take theological issue with the words? Or is it, as it was with me, that they associate that song with something long past which brings back memories? God gently reminded me that each of us is unique. What speaks to me may not speak to you. We have different tastes and preferences yet we can worship God together.
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