Nov. 5, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:
Wesley’s ‘proper’ way of hymns includes singing spiritually
By Mike Haynes
A
Methodist pastor quoted part of John Wesley’s “Directions for Singing” at a
service a couple of weeks ago. Along with a whole library of sermons and other
Christian writing, the English founder of the Methodist Church wrote seven
points on the subject.
Some
of Wesley’s instructions lean toward micro-managing; others seem as appropriate
as they were when he published them in a 1761 hymn book.
John Wesley
“Sing lustily and with a good
courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift
up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more
ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.”
I’ll
admit I sometimes am afraid of people hearing my singing voice. The only
instruction I ever had was from my dad, who sang in my hometown Methodist choir
for decades and was the bass singer in the Methodist Men’s Quartet. In the few
high school years that I joined him, my uncle and my cousin in the choir, Dad
gave me the basics of singing the bass line in hymns.
I
usually follow that guidance when singing in church, but much modern music
isn’t played in a manner that needs a bass line. So sometimes I try to sing the
melody. Either way, as an introvert, I don’t sing very loud. Once when my
Baptist grandmother visited our church and sat by me in the pew, she sounded
surprised when she complimented my voice.
Also
from Wesley: “Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct
from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive
to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.”
I
probably sing a little too modestly, as does my wife, Kathy, who has a nice
voice. But lots of people at churches I’ve attended don’t sing at all, and
Wesley wouldn’t have liked that. “If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you
will find it a blessing,” he wrote.
Wesley’s
advice also included a preference for the songs in his Methodist hymn book. He
wanted them sung exactly as printed. “If you have learned to sing them
otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can,” he directed.
Despite
Willie Nelson’s beautiful renditions of some old hymns and his “preacher songs”
in the “Red Headed Stranger” album, the country legend would not have fared
well with Wesley (and my dad would agree). Wesley wrote, “Sing in time.
Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay
behind it…”
But
I think Wesley’s annoyance with straying from the “proper” way of singing is
overshadowed by his top exhortation: “Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye
to God in every word you sing.”
Hours
before writing these words, my wife, Kathy, and I were part of a Sunday morning
service where singing spiritually was obvious. With our church choir clapping
behind them, an elementary school girl and a boy about the same age led the
congregation in “I’ll praise ’cause you’re faithful, I’ll praise ’cause you’re
true … I’ll praise ’cause you rose and defeated the grave,” accompanied with
raised hands followed by arms waved left and right. Even my reserved
personality couldn’t keep me from participating.
Then,
harkening back to my childhood, we sang “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” with
the kids doing a cute “leaning” movement. “What a fellowship, what a joy
divine,” weren’t just words in that hymn but a description of what was going on
at that moment. Kathy and I both had tears.
Add
the boy’s and girl’s young voices – “Yes, Jesus loves me; the Bible tells me
so” – with just a guitar joining them, and I think Wesley’s exhortation was
alive in that independent Christian church:
“Aim
at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. … See that your
heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so
shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when
he cometh in the clouds of heaven.”
