THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
| TODAY: Add a “song-ology” to your family tree research. What are your family’s favorite hymns? Ask other members of your family for their memories of special hymns and special moments. This week, sing the hymns in church with lots of heart. |
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“O for a thousand tongues to sing, My great
Redeemer’s praise, The glories of My God and
King, The triumphs of His grace!”
Written by Charles Wesley, 1739, The Methodist Hymnal
As our congregation sang this hymn in church recently, I was immediately transported back to the First Methodist Church in Medford, Oregon, at a time in the early 1950s. I could hear my grandparents singing heartily, not necessarily in tune, but it didn’t matter. They poured their heart and soul into the stirring words. The same thing happens when we sing “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Rock of Ages.”
My grandparents attended their church from the first day it opened its doors in 1925, and singing was a joyous way for them to praise God. When I visited their farm as a young girl, I sat on my grandfather’s lap while he played the harmonica and taught me church hymns. He knew them all by heart; I was just learning. I can remember the exact location of his chair and how he would hold his harmonica while I held the hymn book for him. Our loud singing probably scared the chickens on the farm.
My father never sang in a choir, nor was he blessed with a fine voice. In fact, most notes he sang had lots of heart but were quite offkey. Nevertheless, he would often sing “In the Garden” (“I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses”) when he was working in the garage or repairing the roof or doing chores around the house. When I think back to those moments, I can still hear him today. That hymn was sung at his funeral, along with “How Great Thou Art,” which never fails to bring tears to my eyes after the second chord.
One of the powerful connections to my ancestors is through the singing of church hymns, many of which transport me back two generations. While contemporary music is fresh and certainly has value in a worship service, the traditional hymns that carry a history also are important and connect us through the generations. I think about the thousands and thousands of people who have sung these same hymns long before me, praising God through music as we still do today. My hope is that the following generations also will feel a connection to us.
“Then sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!”
— Karen Rhinard
Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist