What will you be singing?

One day I observed a hospice worker sitting in the dining room with one of the residents of the nursing home. As I walked by a couple of different times I heard snippets of prayer and the quiet singing of a hymn. The resident gave only slight indications that she was aware of what was being said. A couple of weeks later, this same resident was sitting in her wheelchair near the nurses station where she often sits in the afternoon. Her eyes were closed but as I walked by she tilted her head back and began to sing, On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross... 

As I continued on with my day I wondered what song I would be singing. What songs will people sing to my generation when music is the only thing that lifts some of the fog of dementia? It used to be that every church sang more or less the same songs. That is no longer the case. When I was looking for a church in Minneapolis I remember several Sunday mornings when I didn't know a single song that was sung. In time I grew to know (and love) the repertoire of the church I was a part of. The music was primarily from the 21st century and the lyrics were filled with solid truth providing encouragement to my soul as they ran through my head throughout the week. Some of the songs we sang were written by church members and were an expression of our corporate life with God. But I have not sung most of those songs since I moved. 

Last weekend I was in Minneapolis, visiting my church family there. We sang one hymn and its words spoke right to my heart, bringing tears to my eyes and they rang in my mind throughout the week. 

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

"Fear not, I am with your, O be not dismayed,

For I am your God and will still give you aid;

I’ll strengthen and help you, and cause you to stand

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand."

"When through the deep waters I call you to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;

For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,

And sanctify to you your deepest distress."

"When through fiery trials your pathways shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be you supply;

The flame shall not hurt you; I only design

Your dross to consume, and your gold to refine."

"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to its foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake."

My experience of working in a nursing home has given me another reason why the good old hymns should continue to be sung along with new songs. They give us a common vocabulary, a common experience across local expressions of all denominations and all generations. And that is important, not only for the current elder saints, but for all future generations.

I chose this YouTube version of How Firm A Foundation simply because it is the sound of God's people singing the truth of God's promises. (I tried to embed it below, but in my preview it isn't showing up.)