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“My personal favourite hymns are all connected with powerful memories – my call to faith, our wedding, our daughter’s baptism and moments where I deeply felt the presence of God…

WHAT is your favourite hymn? For some people, old standards and familiar tunes with associations with the journey of life (baptisms, weddings and funerals) will resonate.

For others, it could be a call to faith, or the moment they realised God was moving in their lives.

With the addition of a Supplement to the latest Church of Scotland hymnary, CH4, there will likely be a raft of new favourite tunes to join those old familiars.

Music remains integral to worship. Many years ago, I stumbled across a sort of top ten ‘songs of praise’ after a survey of Life and Work readers. If memory serves me correctly, many old familiar tunes featured – such as Abide With Me, How Great Thou Art and the old Sunday School standard of All Things Bright and Beautiful. I was amazed that I knew so many of the featured songs of praise as expected (because of the age of the article) to not know many of the favourites. But these ‘familiars’ would likely still feature heavily in a top ten today, for it can take a little time for new hymns to ‘bed in’. Indeed, although CH4 is now over 20 years old, some of the songs are still regarded as ‘new’.

My personal favourite hymns are all connected with powerful memories – my call to faith, our wedding, our daughter’s baptism and moments where I deeply felt the presence of God with the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Among the favourites are I, the Lord of Sea and Sky, Be Still for the Presence of the Lord and By Cool Siloam’s Shady Rill.

I cannot fail to hear the opening line of Ye Gates Lift Up Your Heads On High without visions of worship during communion at the General Assembly springing to mind

(apologies to my local church where it is a favourite communion hymn).

Others, such as Abide With Me and The Old Rugged Cross, are emotive reminders of the funerals of long-departed loved ones.

Music is powerful and can sometimes touch the heart and soul in a way that words alone cannot.

They can also offer ‘muscle memory’ of different times and ages in churches.

Whilst it is good to try and discover new worship, the old standards have their space and place, for nothing sounds better than a congregation of all ages and stages and with different vocal talents, united in the embrace of a familiar old hymn as they face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Lynne McNeil Editor