Last Sunday morning I listened to the congregation singing O Sacred Head Now Wounded. And as I listened, realizing that I knew every word by heart, I thought to myself how blessed I was to have been raised around the great hymns and spiritual songs of the Church. My Grandma LeCrone always had the Gospel Singing Jubilee on each Sunday morning before church. Every Friday night my Dad would put on a stack of vinyl albums by the Chuck Wagon Gang and the King's Heralds and we'd let them sing us to sleep. I remember once riding with my Dad and he taught me to sing We're Marching to Zion. I can still sing it to this day without a hymnal. I was raised singing the great hymns of Fanny J. Crosby, Isaac Watts, and Charles Wesley. Even the newer writers like John W. Peterson and my "cousin" Bill Gaither have added so much to my life. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have suffered great loss if I had not been immersed in the great old music that expresses the faith of God's people.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put a Chuck Wagon Gang CD on.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put a Chuck Wagon Gang CD on.
2 comments:
I am the same way. I sing 80% of the hymns at church without the hymnal. There are some that always bring tears to my eyes no matter how many times we sing them.
Also, one of the few recorded sermons that I have of Dad is the "Hymnbook Sermon". Good stuff.
Good stuff indeed. Dad was mean in that sermon without anybody realizing it. He whipped them and they said, "Thank you sir! May I have another?"
You and I certainly should know a bunch of the hymns by heart. How many times did we lead congregational singing together back in the day?
Post a Comment