Posted on by PaulHartC

Pros & Cons – The Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Pros & Cons: The Doxology

I’m going to jump right in and hope my reasons for selecting something so widespread and potentially controversial is apparent.

Pro: The Text

What a glorious, simple text. It fits well into our services as a reminder of our purpose in that place. I’ve even heard it used as a blessing before meals. The text carries with it the truth of God’s worthiness, not just of our praise, but of all praise.

Pro: Brevity

This is a short song, containing the one verse and, regardless of the tune, lasts only around a minute. It is easy to memorize, no matter the age, and pull out as a go to when instruments or even good singers are unavailable. Everyone knows what it should sound like, so who cares if it is perfect? Its not like it will go on long enough for the neighbors to complain.

Con: Presentation

Yes, I only have one con on this list, but it is a doozy as far as I am concerned. The Doxology is typically presented as part of a regular liturgy with its own set place in a service. It is sung week after week, year after year. On the whole, I don’t have any issues with the idea of repetitious liturgy because I think, if done correctly it can bring a sense of stability and help set people’s focus on God. The problem is that it is much easier to let it become a mindless pattern instead of a meaningful one. It becomes a thing you sing because it is after the confession and we need something to do. We stop listening to the words and they just sort of flow out of us and land on the floor, not carrying any heart or joy, but rather a sense of obligation. I’m not saying that this cannot be combatted, but because the art of liturgy has been lost in most places, there are few willing to do the work to revive this type of hymn.

Verdict: Use Wisely

If you can sing this song daily or weekly and have it mean as much each time you do, then by all means do it. The message is great and it is incredibly easy to teach to kids or new believers. If you find that it has become more of a drone than worship, step away for a while. Tradition shouldn’t mean beating a dead horse, it should bring meaning through continued practices. If those practices lose meaning, step away and come back when the fog has cleared. You might just find a renewed heart for something as simple as this little Doxology.

SDG,

-Paul Hart Cochran

Posted on by PaulHartC

Pros & Cons: More Precious Than Silver

Verse 1

Lord, You are more precious than silver;
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds;
And nothing I desire compares with You.

Preface

I’d like to start a new occasional look at some shorter hymns and choruses which I don’t feel have enough to fully take on as a blog. Instead, I’d like to look at them through a Pros and Cons list to try and determine if they are worth bringing to the service or if they ought to hang out in hymnals.

Pros & Cons: More Precious Than Silver

Pro: The melody of this hymn is sweet and short, lilting gently but meaningfully for only about sixteen measures. For quick incidental music to emphasize a point in the service, it works well.

Con: In doing a little research into the hymn, I only just discovered that there are more words than just the first verse. I’ve known the hymn for almost twenty years, but never in a printed hymnal have I seen more than the first verse. That being said, a single verse in such a short chorus could get old really fast.

Pro: The theology of the song is good enough. The idea that God is greater than even the most valuable possessions we could have on earth is well established with the examples used. I struggle a little more with the ambiguity of the final stanza, but I believe the heart is there, even if the words are a bit shaky.

Con: The words, though true, just seem dated and schmaltzy. Calling God precious and beautiful is not saying a whole lot and it feels like fluff. Then you repeat the words because the worship pastor wants to sing this chorus three or four times, and each go around it just loses meaning.

Verdict: Use Sparingly
While fairly harmless, this chorus lacks any kind of teeth. It says very little and tires quickly. I think it could be very poignant in certain situations, such as a response to teaching on stewardship. Overall, though, I think I’ll stick to singing it as a lullaby and hope that I don’t have to be exhausted by it in the pews any time soon.