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Despite shooting rampages and extreme heat the summer of 2011, we at Calvin and Calvin Seminary live in stable, safe, and small world. We are in one denomination with very little exposure to strong theological beliefs from vastly different denominations. Outside of campus there is a bigger world full of Christians who profess different theology and different Christian beliefs. Having grown up in the Presbyterian and Christian Reformed Church, witnessing and participating in such an ecumenical conference such as the Hymn Society Conference was an eye-opening, incredible experience.
For five days I had the opportunity to attend the Hymn Society Conference, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Hymn Society Conference is an annual conference that meets in a different location every year. It draws people who love hymns and the history of hymns.
The people attending the conference were from all different parts of the world from all different denominations. Together we sang hymns and talked about hymns. The amazing thing about this genre of music is not only the impact on the hearts and souls of people but also the theology that is conveyed through the texts of the hymns. However, the breadth of theology present in the texts at Hymn Society was deeper and wider than I’ve ever experienced. As we sang songs and prayed prayers I began to realize how ecumenical this conference really was—and at that, how big the story of hymnody really is.
For an hour we sang together the story of the Spanish Catholic church, singing through the new hymnal Flor y Canto recently released by Oregon Catholic Press. For two days the plenary speaker was Dr. I-to Loh, and with him we heard a small fraction of the story of the Asian hymnody and the Asian church. With these songs we sang of the poverty and opposition the Christians of Asia have felt over the years. While in Colorado, I attended many hymn festivals; one of these festivals told the stories of hymns that had a “Colorado connection”; another told the story of the earth through hymns. I cannot begin to recount all the experiences that stretched me and made me question not only what I was hearing, but what I believed as well.
Yet, bigger than any song we sang last week were the individual stories. The best part of the week was the meals, not that the food was spectacular, rather, it was the conversations over the meals that were truly spectacular. These are the stories that will forever impact hymnology for decades to come: the retired school music teacher who loves hymns and loves her church; the hymn writer whose texts will impact generations to come; the professor whose reputation brings students from around the country. These are the stories that might not make the next history hymnology textbook, but these are the stories that will influence the people for years to come.
There is a board range of stories and theology present in our world today. The simple differences in theology that started back in the early church and have continued to divide the church at an exponential rate are reflected in the hymnody available to use in worship. This huge range was presented in one week at hymn society—a unique feat that caused to examine and reexamine every text that I read before and after the texts were sung. Even though I may not believe that all the theology and beliefs are correct, they are someone’s theology and beliefs, and therefore, someone’s story. We all have theology, beliefs and stories—what matters is what is in our hearts. It is up to us to tell the stories and share our theology with our congregations and with each other through what we sing in worship.
Psalm 19 tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” If nature can proclaim without words the glory of God, so surely can we, humans with voices to sing and hands to write, can proclaim the truth of God through the words we say, the poetry we write and the melodies that make our hearts soar!
