Enthusiastically, Dawn

I am not a musician, or a singer. So what’s a girl like me doing reviewing a Hymnal? Shouldn’t that be for the more musically inclined folks? I would answer a wholehearted, maybe…but also no. Let’s have a look at why The Sing Hymnal could be a practical, beautiful addition to your church worship service, or your personal devotional time with the Lord.

One of the most thoughtful gifts given to my husband and I upon moving in to our first home was a hymnal. A dear friend from church delivered it and I became intrigued with the beautiful theology I beheld in the open book in my hands. What a treasured gift. Of course I still have it. As one who did not grow up in the church, I had the opportunity to become acquainted with many of the beloved and handed-down hymns of the faith, and faithful.

Our church still has hymnals in the back pockets of the chairs in our sanctuary though we use them less frequently than when I first started attending this particular church. However there are occasions which arise when we do use the hymnals, and it certainly is a completely different kind of – for lack of a better word- “vibe” when the hymnals are held and singing is happening. I wonder what is the best word for that vibe? Could it be something happens unique to our experience when we look at a book instead of a screen projecting lyrics? I don’t know, but I wonder.

Just as the words, and history of words, songs, psalms and liturgies connect us to the past in their preaching, and singing, and listening and learning, does the written, or printed on paper word connect us more completely somehow than these projections on screens. I imagine so many churches down through the ages, connected by small songbooks, a history of ages past comes to light in my imagination.

Obviously, I am not saying those screens do not have value as they do, and they are practical, whether handheld or projected before the congregations. We raise our voices in worship, our hearts making melody with the songs we sing regardless of where the words are presented to us- screens, paper, memory.

However, I am saying there is great value in treasured traditions and this new hymnal is one for the ages, young, old, present, future. I pulled my old hymnal out and had to compare the old with the new. The Sing Hymnal has been compiled by Keith and Kristyn Getty, one of Christianity’s greatest contributing duos to worship music in our time and their musical team. Crossway is the publishing team who helped bring this to fruition.

What Makes The Sing Hymnal Different?

“The hymnal is arranged into three main sections. The Worship Service follows the arc of the gospel in a worship service. The Christian Life aims to equip believers for faithful living “from life’s first cry to final breath.” The Life of Christ begins with
Advent and Christmas, working through the church’s year to Pentecost and culminating with the return of Christ. In essence this is a curation of songs to carry through life, at church, and at home—songs that will help anchor you in the depths and give voice to your praise on the heights”

Keith & Kristyn Getty

I passed this hymnal on to our church worship leader for his thoughts and he told me appreciated the combination of old and new songs, as well as the video I shared which offered a bit about the making of this hymnal. I have included it and think it does a great job of communicating the heart of much that has gone into the making of this compilation and the hope for its use.

The biggest difference I observed was the newer, contemporary hymns alongside the precious hymns of the past. More on that in a minute.

The second noticeable thing, which could arguably be the first, was the beauty of this book. Yes, I confess I am a book nerd. I do love books. But I also appreciate the making of them and have a bit (albeit small) of knowledge on what goes into creating a beautiful hardcover book. There are shortcuts, but with something as lasting as a hymnal, why do you want to hold in your hand something adequate, and not excellent, well-made and beautiful. I think of God’s attention to detail as described in the Old Testament from the tabernacle to the temple. I think of God’s standard, a perfect and spotless lamb. The best. Solomon’s Temple, beautifully inlaid with precious metals. I may be digressing, but God is beautiful. Worship is beauty expressed. Beauty matters, whether in simple detail or extravagant. The book I received for review is hardcover, matte black with an impressed border. The title is in gold.The paper is MUCH easier on the eyes, in a light ivory, cream shade. Compared to the white, thin paper of my old hymnal it is lovely to look at. The readings and hymns have a muted red color, while the rest of the print is in a clear black font (Trinité by typographer Bram de Does). The paper is also very smooth, almost silky to touch (70gsm acid-free).

This book boasts (humbly) 497 classic and contemporary hymns, 403 liturgical readings, and offers Psalms paired with popular hymns. It’s like a pumped up devotional book. (Does that sound weird?)

The flow of the hymnal is broken up in the following way: 1. The Worship Service, 2. The Christian Life, and 3. The Life of Christ. In each of these parts, there is a further breakdown in to a chronology of songs based on topics and of seasons, and of the flow of the liturgical calendar year. If you head here (Crossway) you can download Chapter 1 for free and read the contents detailed page, introduction, and foreword by Alistair Begg. You will also see the first 130 pages and have a clear idea of how the flow is with music, poetry, reading layouts.

A third way this hymnal is unique is in its inclusion of readings from a number of Christian voices both past and current, such as Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Joni Eareckson Tada, Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis and more.

OK, now for you musical types, the best part is the hymnal has coordinating downloadable music found on the Sing! Hymnal website. From the site: “A broad set of resources, including piano scores, chord charts, and powerful search tools, is available on SingHymnal.com to help music leaders, pastors, and musicians lead worship in a variety of contexts.” It’s also available in Lay-Flat 8″ x 11″ pages, spiral bound featuring enlarged text and chord symbols above the staff, which offers improved readability and clarity.

A few notable mentions at the back of the hymnal: A Postlude from Keith and Kristyn Getty for those leading hymn singing, a section devoted to the stories behind the hymns, readings copyrights and hymn sources, Hymn Meters (meaningless to me, but not the musically inclined!), indexes for topics, scripture and first lines (meaningful to me AND those planning worship).

About the song choice, I love hymns, and I appreciate greatly some of the newer ones, so seeing them laid out in this book allows a more permanent and connected sense of history. It allows the new and the old to go forward together instead of having a separation. It appears as if all the songs now have become timeless and connected in their worshipful stand in history- which they are, but now we have a tangible gathering place for them to reside. It’s absolutely priceless!

About the cost…I think this hymnal is reasonably priced for the value and timeless beauty – as I already mentioned. My budget sensitive worship leader friend thought it was expensive. I would note there are special discounts and offers for churches and small groups through crossway.com for bulk orders.

Additionally, if you are one who wants to use this for your own personal devotion time, I think it would be lovely for home worship with a family, couple or with you and Christ alone!

Thank you for reading, and following me here. As you know I continue to be social media free, and I finally made the cut to YouTube. As many of you know, cutting these platforms out presents challenges – all to say I appreciate your support and presence here all the more as I have made these decisions.

Please stay tuned for my upcoming review: The Clear View Bible by Zondervan.

Thanks again for my faithful followers, readers, friends and for Crossway for providing the best of Christian growth opportunities through their ministry of publishing. A real blessing!

Enthusiastically, Dawn