Hymn by Hymn
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STLT#279, By the Waters of Babylon
This round evokes in me another, which we’ll get to in November: Where does it come from? Who wrote it? Why is it in here? Where does it come from? How did it get here? Mystery. Mystery. This hymn’s a riddle and a mystery. Okay, so not all of it is a mystery – it… Continue reading
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STLT#278, Praise Be to God, the Almighty
I suspect there are three types of Unitarian Universalist congregations: The first sing this all the time because they are deeply grounded in Unitarian Christianity – I’m thinking of congregations like King’s Chapel in Boston. The second wouldn’t touch this with a ten-foot pole, because their humanists and even many of their theists would rise… Continue reading
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STLT#277, When We Wend Homeward
For the record, I love that we have a section of hymns based on the Psalms. The time spent with the Psalms in my Old Testament class was one of my favorites – learning about the different kinds of psalms, learning about when they might have been written and why, and hearing the strength of… Continue reading
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STLT#276, O Young and Fearless Prophet
Wow. Just wow. Here’s another hymn that I have bypassed time and time again, not thinking it would have anything to do with anything I might preach, especially in the last six or eight months. Silly me. O young and fearless Prophet of ancient Galilee: your life is still a summons to serve humanity, to… Continue reading
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STLT#275, Joyful Is the Dark
I know there is a need in the world for Brian Wren’s songs. I hear it every time I get to one, because the fans come out of the woodwork and I am left wondering what I’ve missed. Welcome to today’s Brian Wren hymn, which really, really, bugs me. I mean, first of all, it… Continue reading
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STLT#274, Dear Mother-Father of Us All
These are the days I wish I was a pianist, or lived with one. Because while I have listened to a recording of this hymn at Small Church Music, I feel like I want to play with this rather square tune by Frederick Charles Maker. I don’t want to change it, partly because the tune… Continue reading
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STLT#273, Immortal, Invisible
My post will be short today, as I have succumbed to what is commonly known as “con crud” – the general flu-like illness that befalls many a convention attendee. But I wouldn’t be true to this practice without at least singing through this beloved hymn and making a few comments before the siren song of… Continue reading
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STLT#272, O Prophet Souls of All the Years
Fred’s back! Good ol’ Frederick Hosmer (with an M) – 19th/early 20th c Unitarian minister and hymn lyricist – gives us the lyrics to the second of our two official Pentecost hymns. I say official because according to STLT, this and Come Down O Love Divine are the two marked “Pentecost” – but what has… Continue reading
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STLT#271, Come Down, O Love Divine
Gentle readers, I have a confession to make: I am not ready for Pentecost hymns. I mean, it seems silly, right? Here I was complaining about how many centuries I was spending in our Christmas section, so you’d think a short Easter section would suit me just fine. But no, I am not ready to… Continue reading
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STLT#270, O Day of Light and Gladness
Fred’s back, with another Eastertide hymn that isn’t actually an Easter hymn. This one was published in 1904, and set to a 19th century English tune called Lancashire. To be clear: I really like this hymn text. And I love that Hosmer thought to include Passover in his text. And even more, I used this… Continue reading
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