Last night, the girls and I were blessed with dinner and fellowship with a true Christian gentleman, Dr. Ken O'Brien. As we visited in our home following dinner, a discussion started about hymns. The discussion was prompted from a mild disagreement betweeen Doc and I over a hymn sung at the close of a funeral service on Monday. The congregation was led in "Now the Day is Over." I shared with Doc how depressing that song was to me -- he, on the other hand, found the hymn to be ideal because of its truth and its tune.
All this got me thinking about our hymns and our taste for hymns and even how generational difference impact our perception of a "good" hymn from a "not-so-good" hymn.
So, what is your favorite hymn? Why? Let's have a little audience participation today. You can send me your replies at jim@wpcoc.com. I'll look forward to receiving feedback from you throughout today regarding your favorite hymn.
For me, it's hard to do much better than these words penned by Mrs. Frances Havergal way back in 1871:
"Is it for me, dear Savior,
Thy glory and Thy rest
For me, so weak and sinful!
O shall I be so blessed?
Is it for me, Thy welcome,
Thy gracious 'Enter in'
For me Thy 'Come ye blessed,'
For me so full of sin?
O Savior, precious Savior,
My heart is at Thy feet;
I bless Thee and I love Thee,
And Thee I long to meet.
I'll be with Thee forever,
And never grieve Thee more;
Dear Savior, I must praise Thee,
And love Thee evermore.
O Savior, my Redeemer,
What can I but adore,
And magnify and praise Thee,
And love Thee evermore?
