iduals, but become more fully the members of the body of Christ. Writer Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that: "It is the voice of the Church that is heard in singing together. It is not you that sings, it is the Church that is heard in singing together." This community of spirit that is felt helps to give the whole church a joy that reaches down into the soul and pulls at the hearts of all. So often, as Christians, do we forget about the basic principles of our faith. Yet, through hymn singing Christians may experience a knowledge of the fundamentals of their beliefs. Writer Albert van den Heuvel once said: "It is the hymns, repeated over and over again, which form the container of much of our faith." This point is so clear if we open up a hymnal and read through all of the many songs that we see. Even one of the most well known hymns ever that proclaims "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me", reflects back to the subject of the grace of God that saves us as Christians. This is what our whole faith is based on, the wonderful redemption granted to us through Christ. Many times in his sermons, my pastor has used the words of a hymn to illustrate a story or to strengthen a point. They are educational tools that are forgotten in an age that wants to do away with hymns all together. Basically, hymns show the interrelatedness among the theological beliefs of the Christian faith while reviewing the great doctrines of Scripture. Christians ask the Lord to "give us this day our daily bread" in the recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Yet, they do not realize that an important role of the hymn is to sustain the Christian in daily life. As Christians recall the words of memorized hymns they find their spirits strengthened and revived. I know that when I am in need of a reminder of God's strength in my life I can l...
