ook at the words of another hymn I hold close to my heart, "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty!" These words remind me that God is so sanctified and worthy of my praise, and that He alone is Almighty. These little stanzas can pop up even in an out of church setting, because of the emphasis placed on the singing of hymns in church. After the sermon is preached at the worship service of my church, the final hymn is sung as the pastor comes down from the pulpit. It is no coincidence that the hymn usually relates to the message of the sermon, and that it is sung just before we exit. I have found that the final hymn sung is a bit of daily bread for me as I go about my ways the rest of the day. Many Sundays I find myself humming and singing the verses of that hymn for the rest of the day, and even through the week. I did not even realize this before, as I simply sang the words set before me, and paid no attention to their meaning for my life(Syndor 18). Hymns were an important part of the early church, as Paul instructed the people of Corinth to "sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs" to God. Today in many church settings the hymn is still of great importance, while in others it has been replaced with more modern selections. Yet I truly believe that the hymns have made an impact in my life in the Congregational Church, resulting in a stronger faith. It is important to remember that good hymns are well suited to Christian worship because they center on God rather than on self. One of the greatest contributions that the hymn has made is that they flesh out biblical material in a passionate form, causing the congregation to be carried into a setting where truth becomes stimulated(Johansson 127). The Congregational Church has been my home for eighteen years now, and I feel very comfortable in this setting where my faith was founded. I think tha...
