I am, in some ways a dinosaur when it comes to church. A throwback to the old hymns, the old styles of worship and yet, I am actually the first of the new generation of praise and change in church. Yes, me, the dinosaur. You see I am of an age where I was a “Jesus Freak” as the saying went. I was one of the first to get the new sing and celebrate book that brought contemporary music right into the church. And, more than a few old deacons did not approve. We didn’t care with long hair, sandals and jeans in church.
So fast forward 45 plus years and here I am loving Liturgy and longing for the old hymns. I go to a new church that does old things in new ways and it is one of the things that has captured my imagination. To hear an old hymn set to new music, to say the Creed with a background of guitar, drum and piano music, to recite the Lord’s Prayer with that same soft background music. I have to remind myself that it is about the praising of God. That we are blessing the Sacred.
Does that sound outlandish, us blessing God instead of the other way around? Scripture supports it but it doesn’t rest well with us: complimenting/blessing the Creator. And then I read and re-read that poem by Augustine. We learn to love a new life and that is learning to sing a new song. He reminds us that we must be sure our life matches the words of the song, but he ends with this very important idea, one I cannot let go of today: the praise contained in the song, is the singer.
Think of the depth of that, our life is our song to God and the praise contained in the song is us…….take a moment to let the import of that seep in, we are the Sacred’s sacred hymn sung to the world. Me, I am that song, my life is that praise. And, I am the hymn people learn to recognize Christ by in the world. I think I need to sing better each day.
TMM