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“Honouring the Ties that Bound”
by Martha Perkins
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What a Friend we Have in Jesus – that’s hymn number 779, sung from the little black song book which in other churches has long since been replaced by the big red song book. (When a church closes one consolation is it is forever innocent, protected from all the debates and politics of religion. The Essonville Church will be spared the inevitable demands for “her” books, or “person” books. Enough of these sexist hims.)
When the congregation joins the choir in the chorus of How Great Thou Art, most of the people don’t need a hymn book, black or red, because they know the words by heart. I remember once asking my grandparents to sing it for me. “Da, daa, da daa…”
Sure enough, the warbling soprano voices of the elderly women ring out, with only a few of the high notes missing. The men add their deep, sonorous bass. How did they come to know the songs so well? Was there a time when people were taught how to sing hymns, and has the comfort they provide become like yet another lost custom? Newer, more modern hymns might not have the sentimental schlock or the moral indignation of these old faithfuls, but they also lack the stately grace.
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