Book
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) PostsAugsburg Fortress, Publishers; Minneapolis MN
ISBN 978-8066-5618-2
As long as there are Christians on this planet, some of those Christians will be writing texts and/or tunes for congregational singing. This means at least every generation or so, churches must rethink the resources they have at their disposal for congregational singing. These days, many churches have dispensed with hymnals altogether in favor of projection screens or handouts, but there is much to be said for hymnals. A good, cohesive hymnal, displaying a unified philosophy of worship, can help guide church leaders and worship participants in meaningful congregational praise. Worshipers are longing for a sense of permanence, a sense that they belong to something bigger than themselves, something that has been around much, much longer than simply our time. Words on a screen are ephemeral. Handouts are disposable. A hymnal communicates something much more healthy about a congregations place in the communion of saints.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship is the first hymnal to be published for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1978’s Lutheran Book of Worship. That’s almost thirty years, which is quite a remarkable life span for a hymn book. This book, like its predecessor, is more than simply a hymnal: it is a worship book as well, containing the entire Psalter for congregational reading and for chant (the text is pointed for this purpose), the entire liturgy, and the complete Revised Common Lectionary with Collects for each Sunday of the Church Year.
The Lectionary is one of the best features of this hymnal. I have never seen a lectionary arranged in such a user-friendly fashion, with the Scriptures in the left column and the Collects on the right. Even the most liturgically-challenged user will have no trouble navigating, and benefitting from, this lectionary. Unlike some presentations of the Revised Common Lectionary, Evangelical Lutheran Worship lists both the thematic and the semi-continuous reading options, which is a big plus. Many of the collects are newly composed for this volume, and all of them have been chosen to reflect much more specifically the themes of each Sunday in the Christian Year. I have begun to employ many of these collects in our worship services, adding the familiar (to our congregation) Trinitarian formulae with which collects in the Book of Common Prayer typically conclude.
After the lectionary and collects are ten complete musical settings of the Communion service and liturgies for other occasions. The section of congregational song (by far the largest part of the book) begins with a section of all 150 Psalms (something few Reformed hymnals do, curiously enough). Then the hymns are arranged according to the Church Year, a fact that will be appreciated by pastors and musicians alike. The book also includes a wonderful section entitled “Scripture and Worship”, which is a compendium of Scriptural sentences for such elements as Calls to Worship, Assurances of Pardon, Thanksgivings for Offerings, Grace at Meals, etc. Evangelical Lutheran Worship also includes the entire text of Luther’s Small Catechism.
One drawback of this collection, as I see it, is in the part-writing in places. It seems that every modern hymnal committee wants to put its stamp on familiar hymn tunes by introducing some adventurous, or at least novel, harmonizations. (This is the chief, if not the only, criticism I have ever heard about Rejoice in the Lord, one of the best hymnals in the Reformed tradition available today.) A good example of this is what the editors have done with the beautiful Swedish tune HAF TRONES LAMPA FÄRDIG (to which “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers” is often sung). The harmonization in the Lutheran Book of Worship left much to be desired. The harmonization in Evangelical Lutheran Worship is worse. (Church musicians who wish to use this remarkable Advent hymn would do well to obtain K. Lee Scott’s setting of it, which also includes parts for brass and features a much more euphonious harmonic structure.) An unusual harmonization is fine for a final stanza of a hymn, but when it is the only option available, it can effectively remove that hymn from consideration by many congregations.
The breadth of choices in the hymnal is remarkable. Even more remarkable is the evident good taste of the editors: this is not a “Frankenstein” hymnal, with bits and pieces chosen from various times and places in an attempt to satisfy every taste. There are more contemporary choices alongside more ancient selections, yet the effect is not jarring at all, because the editors have shown real sensitivity in the choices they have made. Every choice underscores a common vision for worship, a vision that includes the diversity inherent in global Christianity, but a common vision nonetheless. Few contemporary hymnals can make this claim.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship was produced for member congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but it belongs in the library of every pastor and musician in the broader Reformation tradition (Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed/Presbyterian). It would also serve admirably in the pews of those churches in the Reformed tradition that feature liturgical worship.
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