Glory to God

Today marked the passing of an age.  For the last time, worshipers in Miller Chapel sang praise to God from the blue Presbyterian Hymnal.  I was just a little kid, seven or eight, when my church back home first put the blue hymnals in the pews.  It was the first book I can remember reading music from, and it was where I learned the songs of our faith.

View fullsize

Old & new together.  While the new hymnal has many more hymns, it is lighter and thinner due to new types of paper.

I am thrilled to have this transition be during my time at Princeton.  Maybe I am over thinking it a little, but it feels like the retirement of the hymnal of my childhood and the introduction of Glory to God is just a little like my journey to ministry.  I am slowly coming to peace with the fact that some of the things of my past, as wonderful as they are, need to be set aside so that God can do a new thing.

I have had the chance to sing just a little bit from the new hymnal, and I can say with all honesty I am excited.  While no hymnal is perfect, this new resource seems to strike a great balance of classic hymns of faith, newer hymns that speak with passion, and musical traditions from all corners of the Christian world to help us sing (and hear) the good news in refreshing ways.  I will miss the familiar hymnal of my childhood, but I look forward to the amazing new ways we can continue to sing Glory to God!