June 28th

Come let Us all Unite to Sing, God is Love

Recently, a high school graduate in our congregation received the new Voices Together hymnbook as a graduation gift from our congregation.  I thought this was a very fitting gift as
congregational singing has played an important role for Mennonites over the centuries.  It has been said that one should carry both a Bible and a Hymn book as they are both faith formational books. For me, singing has been how I have memorized Bible verses, how God speaks to me, how I express my faith in God.
 
Growing up, I faithfully went every Saturday to German school at a local Lutheran church. The children’s choir there sang many familiar German songs but also ones that weren’t necessarily part of the Mennonite singing repertoire.  To this day, my “go to song” in times of joy and sorrow is from Mendelssohn’s Elijah: Hebe deine Augen auf, based on Psalm 121.  So nimm denn meine Hände (Take though my hand O Father) and Gott ist die Liebe (God is Love) continue to be sung at many funerals in our congregation, either by the congregation or the choir. 
 
The German singing of my roots still comes through especially at Christmas and during important rites of the church such as weddings and funerals.  That being said, many newer songs are part of my “repertoire.”  Looking back at the changes that have occurred in our hymn collections as Mennonites in North America, I am often surprised at how much has changed, along with how much has stayed the same.  When my Mother was in the hospital with a series of stroke and heart issues, she would often sing Don’t be Afraid from the Iona community.  I think she surprised even herself with this choice of song. 
 
For one of my classes at AMBS, I wrote a paper on studying hymn texts by Mennonite/Anabaptist authors from 1525 to present.  Many of the hymns sung by the early Anabaptist’s were written by Anabaptists themselves, with many, many verses, depicting stories of the Bible, stories of the persecuted people of the time, and stories of faith.  Many of these can still be found in the Ausbund, first collected in 1564. Most of these, with a few exceptions, are not well known in our churches anymore.  Mennonites became great borrowers of texts and music.  Bach chorales from Lutheran churches, gospel songs translated from English to German and back again, texts by Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby and others.  It was only in the last half of the 20^th century that I started finding congregational songs written again by Anabaptists from many places around the world.  This has added a great new dimension of what and how Mennonites sing together.  It also shows how important it is to update hymnbooks (whether actual books or projected versions) on a regular basis to reflect the world around us.  Change is slow but it does happen, so even though my “go-to-song” is in German, I also have many favourites that I call on again and again from different ages, customs, and countries.
 
So here is a very short list of some of the hymns I carry near and dear to my heart, not including the ones already mentioned and in no particular order:
 
So lange Jesus bleibt der Herr
Longing for Light
Rain Down
Mountain of God
Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song
Blessed Assurance
Hakuna wakaita
Summoned by the God who made us
 
What songs are near and dear to your hearts, ones you call on in joy and sorrow, ones for praise, thanksgiving and petition? 
 
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; 
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 89:1