I have always been a fan of older music. Anything that started on tape or vinyl is just better than everything that’s being released these days. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of friends who are putting out wicked albums, but they’re just not the old music that makes me so nostalgic.
I grew up in an old school church. It was trying its darnedest to be hip, but failing miserably. Looking back, it’s almost amusing to think about it: you bring in an acoustic guitar, synth, some drums and a bass guitar and all of a sudden you think you’re hip? The audiophile in me wants to scorn them, but the Christian in me wants to give them a solid, “Good effort,” and, “maybe next time.” I could talk about musical proficiency in the church, but that is saved for another, longer post. The bottom line is this: they didn’t get it musically; you can’t take an old tune meant for piano and four part harmony and try to splice in all those other instruments without rewriting the song. But what they lacked musically, they made up for with lyrics.
Great is thy faithfulness. I surrender all. Fairest Lord Jesus. Many of us know these old hymns and can sing them from memory, but can we sing them from our hearts? How can we sing the words, “I surrender all,” and be disinterested? How can we say, “here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it,” and not be paying attention? The content of these hymns should be simultaneously exhausting and uplifting, filling us with joy and yet sending us to our knees before God. How do you think the authors felt when they openness these songs? Were they distracted by what their favorite celebrity just tweeted? No! They were 100% invested in what they were writing. These songs are powerful because they came from the heart.
I guess that’s why I love old songs: because I love the old mindset; the old way of doing, thinking and feeling; the old way of actually being sold out for God when you say you are.
Where has character gone? Integrity? Loyalty? I’m not sure I can answer that, but I say we start looking for them again. Why not start with old hymns?
