Many American Lutheran churches do not sing Lutheran church hymns at all. How deplorable! We often attend Lutheran church services where not a single Lutheran church hymn or Lutheran chorale is sung. Here is a serious flaw in American Lutheran education and leadership. How about the hymn singing in our American Lutheran Sunday schools? Would it not be well to sing at least one Lutheran church hymn each Sunday? Or shall we permit Lutheran hymnody to die? Is great Lutheran hymnody a thing of the past?
But what is the most serious thing that our American Lutheran congregational hymn singing lacks? One thing—LIFE. That is our great problem—life in our church song—new life—LIFE. With this go all the difficulties of the problem of life.
Since it is the business of the Church to sing the church hymn, the question becomes very complicated. So many factors must co-operate in this matter, if we are to get anywhere—to sing a Lutheran church hymn as it should be sung. Our American Lutheran colleges and theological seminaries will have to undertake more serious educational work in the important field of hymnology and church music. A strong summer school of Lutheran church music, liturgics and hymnology would be very valuable.
Take the familiar situation: The great festival hymn of the Reformation is sung. We have before us altar, pulpit, pipe organ; we have before us minister, organist, choir, congregation. The ideal of the problem is a harmonious co-operation between all if we are to have VITAL worship and VITAL song.
The good pastor of a large Lutheran church in Connecticut thanked his organist and choirmaster in a very hearty way after a fine Sunday morning service. The good organist and choirmaster answered: “Well, who cannot play and sing when the pastor preaches such soul-stirring sermons and conducts the liturgy so beautifully?” And the good pastor replied: “Well, who cannot preach and conduct the liturgy when the organist and choirmaster does such excellent work?” That is real co-operation—they helped each other in a beautiful way. They co-operated in the selection of hymns and choir music—every Tuesday or Wednesday evening that pastor and organist were together in conference concerning the song of the church. That is work very much worth while for the Church service.
In our thousands of Lutheran churches throughout the United States of America, the American Lutheran Church is to be built up and built together into ONE great Church, into ONE people that really sings—a people of God.
But when here devoutly soareth
High the temple-anthem sweet,
Grief grows calm, no plaint outpoureth—
Hearts with holy rapture beat: