A Wee Blether

Let me indulge in some quick Presbyterian polity to get at some deep worship conundrums.

I’ve always been intrigued that the Presbytery Book of Order states that the minister as pastor has some responsibilities “not subject to the authority of the session” including choosing “the music to be sung in worship” (W-1.4005). And then, on the next page, the Book or Order states that hymnals should be chosen by the session with the concurrence of the pastor (W-1.4006).

I bet there’s been a congregation or two whose session selected a hymnal just to get a pastor’s goat, and the pastor then consistently chose hymns from another hymnal to get them back! That’s all to say: choosing hymns is a tricky business.

I’m a big hymn guy and enjoy singing in worship and leading people in congregational song. It’s a joy to choose music for our congregation to sing. But, even after almost several months into my call, it’s not getting any easier. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult things I do all week.

Take, for example, the hymn “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Christina Rossetti c. 1872.  I happen to know that about 2/3rds of PC(USA) congregations sang the hymn last year. More than 80% of respondents to a survey soon to be released by the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song said the hymn should be included in the next Presbyterian hymnal. The hymn appears in eight hymnals published in the last thirty years and twenty-two hymnals published prior.

Herbert Brokering calls the hymn a “well-known and well-loved Advent hymn” in his Advent meditation book called, of all things, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” I’ve had the hymn memorized for almost half my life now, as it closed every high school chorus concert. Later, as a singer in the St. Olaf Choir, we took an an anthem arrangement on tour all over the U.S.

All that said, truth be told, I don’t really care for the hymn. It’s a bit sentimental, too romantic for my taste. That’s not to say it’s not a classic and deserves to continue its long run as a Christmas favorite, it’s just not a hymn I really look forward to singing.

So, at a worship committee meeting last week I popped the question. “What are you favorite Christmas hymns?” “We love them all” was the consensus answer. Fair enough. It’s hard to choose. But when I asked about “In the Bleak Midwinter,” I was met with stares. I played a recording on my laptop. Nobody knew the hymn.

It’s totally fine with me not to sing the hymn this Christmas season in Hallock, but the experience highlights how difficult it is for a pastor to choose hymns for a congregation to sing without knowing everyone’s personal hymn-singing experience. We generally sing three hymns a service, and I never put more than one new hymn in a service. So I’ll often mix in two older texts from the 1990 Presbyterian Hymnal, then have a newer piece as a bulletin insert from a recent worship resource.  But, other than the absolute classics, it’s very hard to say if the older hymns are actually well-known in my context. Of course, I check with folks and ask around, that’s the only way to do it, but it ain’t easy. Assumptions cannot be made.

I suppose we could go through every bulletin of the last ten years an write down what hymns have been sung, but I rather listen to nails on a chalk board all day. Since last year, thank goodness, we’ve been recording each time a hymn is sung in a master hymnal so future worship leaders will have idea of what’s been sung when. I’m more than happy to continue the practice.

When beginning my first call I didn’t think choosing hymns would be so difficult. It’s a joy, but it also highlights how difficult it is to get to know a congregation. I’m considering some sort of hymn survey in the new year. I’d love to hear your thoughts. How does your congregation chose its worship music? Do you love “In the Bleak Midwinter”? What’s the best way to keep records of what’s been sung when?

image by Hanna Zabielska