Sometimes I find myself expressing feelings which sound like they're, well, un-Christian. Not non-Christian, just un-Christian.
So, here it is.
I really don't like singing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. There, I've said it*. It seems we're singing Come Thou Fount everywhere of late. After now singing it probably a dozen times, I'm still baffled. I've got little to no idea what the song is actually about.
* Whilst ducking to avoid being struck by lightning.
I've never sung that song, but I don't sing along if I don't understand what the words are saying.... or if I disagree with them. Good post. Just the other day, I was pondering how many songs we sing at church with lyrics we just haven't thought through, or understood.
ReplyDeleteI don't comment much, but I really enjoy reading your blog Izaac. Thanks.
We do it a lot at our church. I think it's about some dude called Ebenezer, and how he got a raise at work for being blessed with the way he uses fonts. I just assume he was a holy guy, which is why we get to sing about him a fair bit. I just go with the flow.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys,
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm with you Ruth about not singing if I don't understand. But I know the people choosing these songs where I sing, that they do think deeply on the words and the theology of the songs, and so I'm happy to go with the flow like Ben. I can pick up enough of the vibe to be happy with it.
But this particular song, there's just one too many words/funny expressions that push me over the edge into the land of confusion. As Ben has helpfully pointed out, there is some guy in there called Ebenezer, someone else is interposing (I think this means playing a song in a different key), we're singing about 'founts of blessing' and 'mounts of unchanging love'. Antiquated doesn't equal bad. Often the language helps us to think further about the lyrics. In this case, I'm just confused.
Incidentally, I haven't been able to get the song out of my head for the past two days. I'm singing it right now.
Oh Ben - now that you say that - I think we may have sung it when we were on your church weekend away earlier this year - and I remember thinking - 'well, there you go, you leave a church, and suddenly they're singing all these songs you've never heard of before!!'
ReplyDeleteIzaac - I think even when we trust the the song choosers have thought through the song choice very thoroughly, and theologically - it still has to be understandable or explained. There are a few songs we sing regularly that I just don't have a clue what they're saying... we used to sing one at a previous church we went to about Elijah etc - and to this day I don't have a clue what it was on about... lots of Bible language... but honestly, I don't get it at all.
I find I stop singing more because of disagreement though, than misunderstanding - and I'm a really loud singer, so it is very noticeable when I stop for a line or two, but I can't in good conscience sing something I think is wrong for the sake of other people's comfort.... although I'm finding as a church musician it's a little trickier, as there are some songs I probably would not be happy singing, but feel obliged to play as I submit to the song chooser's authority. I'm still thinking this one through.
I thought you young people just used your phones to google for answers to questions like these while the announcements are being given.
ReplyDeleteHere's a helpful excerpt: "This fine text about divine grace and providence contains various biblical images: Christ is the "fountain of life" (Ps. 36:9; Zech. 13:1) from which "streams of mercy" come. But Christ is also our "rock" (often used in the psalms along with "mount" or "Ebenezer," which means "stone of help"); he "rescues me from danger." Christ also "sought me when a stranger" (Col. 1:21) and "binds" or "seals" his own even when they are "prone to wander" (see Matt. 18:11-14)."
This line carries particular poignancy given that Roger Robinson, the hymn's author, "became successively a Calvinist Methodist, Congregationalist, Baptist, and finally a Unitarian." (Not that there's necessarily a causal link between that movement, btw.)
Info from this link: http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/PsH/486
And no, I don't think that every phrase in every hymn, prayer or reading has to be instantly understandable to every hearer. Christian worship is not an episode of 'Hi-5'.
It should challenge toward growth in understanding and expression of Christian truth, not limit itself to the comprehension of the most ignorant.
I don't like it either. Nice tune. Lyrics that I don't begin to understand as I sing them.
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