Why do we … ?

Why do we sing psalms and hymns?
We sing both psalms and hymns in about a 50/50 balance because both are healthy. Psalms are pretty much straight-up Scripture, and hymns are compendiums of various parts of Scripture along a particular theme. Our goal as a church is to sing all 150 psalms and as many hymns as we can.

Why do we chant and sing different styles of songs?
We sing different styles for the same reason we eat a diverse diet, it makes us strong. Also, some styles resonate more with one person than another, so at a particular moment you might not be singing your favorite song, but do sing heartily because you are most likely ministering to someone else in the body at that moment. Chanting is a word-centered form of singing with simple melodies to put the focus on the text. Most of the teaching that explains the styles we sing happens during the Vespers services on Wednesday nights.

Why do we sing so many songs and so many verses?
If you feel exhausted by the end of worship, good! Worship is warfare. Psalm 8 speaks of the voices of infants stilling “the enemy and the avenger.” Our words are projectiles and our voices shatter the gates of hell. We sing so many songs and so many verses because there is a lot of work to be done.

What hymnal do we use?
We don’t use a single hymnal because all of the music for each service is printed in the bulletins. This music comes primarily (about 50%) from the Trinity Hymnal (1990) as well as from the Cantus Christi (2002) and various other sources.

Why is some of the music so old?
We sing a variety of old and new music but definitely more old than new for the same reason that a literature class would prioritize the classics which have stood the test of time. The music we sing isn’t for pleasure or entertainment but rather to disciple one another, wage war against Satan, and to wrestle with God. In that light, it makes sense to sing the best of the best.