Rejoice and Sing!

Rejoice, and Sing!

Dear Friends,

I hope you found Gethin’s series on the complex relationship between Church and State interesting.  We turn now to a series from Stephen Orchard looking at hymns.

Hymns are a treasured part of Christian worship; we seem some fragments of hymns in the New Testament and, of course, the Church followed the Jewish practice of singing the Psalms.  Singing as a worship practice of the laity had fallen out of fashion by the Reformation.  Luther’s reintroduction of hymns in worship and Calvin’s practice of Psalm-singing by the congregation led to a revival.  Later, thanks to the ministry of Watts and then the Wesleys, singing became a hallmark of Protestant Christianity – and was soon reintroduced into Catholic worship.  Over the next week Stephen Orchard, a retired minister, academic, and former Moderator of General Assembly, will guide us through some hymns in Rejoice and Sing.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship