Let this be an encouragement to modern hymn writers—a cause for inspiration to those who are suffering from writer’s block. There are so many Biblical scenes to choose from that would make for beautiful songs: the transfiguration of Christ, the feeding of the five thousand, the woman at the well, the stoning of Stephen, water baptism, washing of the disciple’s feet, the betrayal of Judas. If just a few good modern hymn writers tackled some of these subjects, the anguish that untold thousands of music ministers suffer weekly could be greatly diminished.
It’s easy to write a chorus that says:
God, you are a Holy God
I need your grace to see me through
I need your mercy to make me new
Let me live each day for you.I just made that up in two minutes and there’s nothing wrong with it. It might fit easily and competitively among the hundreds of worship songs that are available to choose from. But compare those lines to the third stanza from the above hymn:
Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.It took some real thought to craft those lines. They’re timeless. They set a standard for all of us who write music for the church. I didn’t set out to write a didactic piece. I’m reminding myself, too.
Be specific when you write songs about God.
Avoid cliché.
Avoid convenience.
Avoid an obsession with the consumer.
Avoid the temptation to make commercial success your central goal.
Write with intelligence, employing all the craft, skill, and experience with which God has endowed you.
Read the whole post, which contains audio of Fernando singing the 15th century hymn “Come Down, O Love Divine” (quoted above).
