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Life without Jesus is like soda without the bubbles,
Soda without the bubbles, Soda without the bubbles
Life without Jesus is like soda without the bubbles
Life tastes flat and full of troubles

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quote:

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"When a woman comes on stage, you know it's going to be a good night"

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OK, OK. I appreciate that I probably had a terribly smutty mind in those days.

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"I fart in your general direction."
M Barnier

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Originally posted by dyfrig:
Strange, isn't it? We demand life imprisonment for murderers; we ponder about the death penalty for Saddam; yet, curiously, Matt Redman is allowed to walk free. Why is this?

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Originally posted by Sir George Grey:
Matt Redman ... seemed exciting and new.. a

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quote:

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because Matt Redman's songs are relatively unsophisticated it was easy to transplant them from Soul Survivor to the local congregation.

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Originally posted by Newman's Own:
I love this thread, and I'm laughing aloud about the double entendre, so I hope no one will mind my posting two examples of 'old but bad' Christmas hymns that have no double meaning...........

See amidst the winter's snow,
Born to us on earth below,
See the tender lamb appears
Promised from eternal years.

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Originally posted by Cartwheel:
Can I submit the following as the most embarrassing double entendre EVER in a worship song. As far as I remember, it goes

"Before the world began
You were on his mind
And everything you've done
Is precious in His eyes
Because of his great love
He sent his only Son:
Everything was done so you would come."

and so on for another 2 verses, all with the same last line.

If I ever get married, I want that song at my wedding!

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Now I feel free to admit that my horribly dirty mind will not allow me to sing the hymn "Just As I Am."

Oh, Lamb of God, I . . .

. . . I need to sing something else!

Glad to learn that I'm not alone. Curse this fallen world.

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Originally posted by dyfrig:
You've hit on something very important here - that contemporary congregations are somehow too stupid or unsophisticated to sing anything more complex than a Graham Kendrick song.

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Originally posted by dyfrig:
No, ken, I'm not a decent singer at all- but with a little help I found myself capable of participating in simple but affective four part harmonies.

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quote:

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The problem with the Kendricks and the Redmans of this world is (apart from the sheer banality of most of their words) that they are expecting congregations to participate in singing songs that are written in a style and idiom suited to individual performance,

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Originally posted by Chorister:
There is a time to occasionally sit back and listen, whatever your preferred worship style.

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Originally posted by ken:

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Originally posted by Chorister:
There is a time to occasionally sit back and listen, whatever your preferred worship style.

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Yes. It's called a concert.

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Ken, I said 'occasionally' - if I went to a concert that only had 1 item I'd want my money back!

A one-hour service should have room for one anthem, or one organ voluntary or one solo, surely?

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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.

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Originally posted by ken:
But they also write other sorts of songs that aren't intended to be congregational hymns at all. Perhaps the real culprits are the people who choose inappropriate songs for churches, not those who write them.

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One of our worship teams recently decided to introduce "Word of God, Speak" into our Sunday Morning repertoire. Um, yeah it's a current pop hit by an extremely popular band, but it is not the sort of thing congregations should attempt to sing in unison. I am pleased to report that it was terribly awkward, and it may be awhile before it's attempted again--if ever.

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If we're all going to hell in a handbasket, can't we at least have a nicer handbasket?

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Originally posted by Chorister:
(However the popularity of 'Shine Jesus Shine' is that it is more in hymn format and possible to sing as a congregation.)

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There once was a man as mean as could be;
if he could take two then he'd try to take three.
Then one day he took Jesus for tea:
and Jesus helped him to change.

Well, Jesus helps meanies and goodies and baddies,
Jesus helps lazies and happies and saddies,
Jesus helps lonelies and mums, kids and daddies,
and Jesus wants us to help too.

Blind Bartimaeus, as all will agree,
was wise to keep shouting as loud as could be,
"O please, son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus opened his eyes.
(remainder removed ... see below)
Words and Music © Digby Hannah (1949-)

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Needless to say, I didn't select it, but went for a hymn I knew that was similar to the Psalm for the Day. I did, of course, show it to my priest the day before and said this was what I wanted as it truly got to the heart of the story. He was not amused.

Ian.

[Post edited by TonyK to reduce quotation of copyright material - see my post below]

[ 11. January 2004, 11:49: Message edited by: TonyK ]

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Originally posted by ken:
<snip>
Not sure about Redman, but his apparent successor (Redman is already dated for the teenage worship-song-fans, there is a lot of fashion in this) Pete Hughes writes singably, as does (when he wants to) Stuart Townend.

I would go so far as to say that Kendrick and Townend sometimes even write hymns. One or two of which will survive.

But they also write other sorts of songs that aren't intended to be congregational hymns at all. Perhaps the real culprits are the people who choose inappropriate songs for churches, not those who write them.

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Originally posted by GeordieDownSouth:
Pendatic point: Tim Hughes, not Pete Hughes. Pete is his preacher brother.

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Originally posted by Sauerkraut:

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Originally posted by Chorister:
(However the popularity of 'Shine Jesus Shine' is that it is more in hymn format and possible to sing as a congregation.)

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Have you ever hear that song played on an organ?

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Originally posted by ken:

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Originally posted by Sauerkraut:

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Originally posted by Chorister:
(However the popularity of 'Shine Jesus Shine' is that it is more in hymn format and possible to sing as a congregation.)

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Have you ever hear that song played on an organ?

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Often. Often. Often.

As there is a move foot to use Songs of Fellowship as our church hymnbook, this sort of thing seems likely to get more common.

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Originally posted by Chorister:
Scarily, though, all the crappy choruses and horrible hymns of the 60s and 70s are what people are requesting us to sing at their weddings now, because the couple remember them from their school and sunday-school days and get all nostalgic. I suspect in many cases they are the only Christian songs and hymns they know, as well. Maybe church choirmasters and organists ought to attend these bridal fayres and play a selection of alternatives to show them what other music is available!

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As a good Vicar's Daughter™ I used to be called on to play the tunes on our piano for non-churchy wedding couples. By careful process of elimination, the top hymns that most couples knew at least five of were

Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven
The Lord's My Shepherd
Anything to Slane (Lord of all Hopefulness/Be thou my vision)
O Jesus I have promised (new tune)
Crimond
Love Divine (because they'd sang it at other weddings, usually to Blaenwern)
Colours of Day
Bind us together
Amazing Grace

Hardly a startling choice and reflecting a nasty dependence on 'Come and Praise' at the local Schools.

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Originally posted by Sauerkraut:

quote:

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Originally posted by ken:

quote:

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Originally posted by Sauerkraut:

quote:

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Originally posted by Chorister:
(However the popularity of 'Shine Jesus Shine' is that it is more in hymn format and possible to sing as a congregation.)

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Have you ever hear that song played on an organ?

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Often. Often. Often.

As there is a move foot to use Songs of Fellowship as our church hymnbook, this sort of thing seems likely to get more common.

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You poor soul.

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Originally posted by GeordieDownSouth:
If its the complete songs of fellowship (there's now a 3rd volume out which I haven't got yet) it could be a lot worse. But then it will always come down to who picks the songs.

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quote:

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My home church had Songs of Fellowship 1 & 2 (and an OHP for extras). Unfortunately we were one of only about two churches in the circuit who had this and a band, so all the local preachers took the opportunity to pick their favourite songs. Which usually meant "Come on and Celebrate", "Shine Jesus Shine" and "I am a new Creation."

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I actually quite like "Shine Jesus Shine". Sorry. Though the implied 1980s-style restorationism gets irritating.

"I am a new Creation" is sort of jolly and perhaps suitable for occasinal use.

"Come on and Celebrate" is a tedious dirge which is only ever sung by bored "worship teams" making futile attempts to recover the thrills of their teenage years.

Karaoke church.

--------------------
Ken

L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.

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O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
Chri-ist the Lord.

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quote:

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For he alone is worthy,
For he alone is worthy,
For he alone is worthy,
Chri-ist the Lord.

We'll give him all the glory,
We'll give him all the glory,
We'll give him all the glory,
Chri-ist the Lord.

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Originally posted by Gracious rebel:
Those words are not 'new' Sherrif Pony - I recall singing that version in a church about 20 years ago.

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Well, in the grand scheme of things, that's last week!

Ah, I'm just a curmudgeon. The hymn without the verses and reduced to a praise chorus seemed just trite and forced.

--------------------
If we're all going to hell in a handbasket, can't we at least have a nicer handbasket?

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Originally posted by dyfrig:

Any congregation is capable of singing four part harmonies (just get the Wild Goose people in for a Big Sing and you'll see what I mean). We deserve better than anodyne, poppy crap which appeals only to the banal sensibilities of middle aged clergy who think they can fill pews by forcing people to sing second-rate imitations of tenth rate genres. We are meant to worshipping Almighty God, not drowning in drivel. [/QB]

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Originally posted by ken:
"I am a new Creation" is sort of jolly and perhaps suitable for occasinal use.

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Originally posted by Sheriff Pony:
Lame. I don't want my classics frelled with.

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Me neither, Sheriff Pony. I was at a service the other week when the organist launched into "Onward Christian Soldiers." Half the congregation started singing the words they knew, and the other half started singing the words as printed in the service sheet. And it sounded very peculiar, as hymns are wont to do when half the congregation are belting out "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war," and the other half are limping through "Onward Christian Pilgrims, Christ will be our light; see, the heav'nly vision breaks upon our sight!" and other variations on a deeply feeble theme.

And, frankly, I'm outraged at the reason Kevin Mayhew gave for butchering this and some other well-loved classics - basically, because some people have used metaphors of spiritual warfare as an excuse to start wars in the name of Christianity, the rest of us obviously can't be trusted not to go out and thump someone after singing "Onward Christian Soldiers."

However, I know the font Hymns Old and New was printed in, and I shall commit my first (and hopefully only) act of vandalism on a book - I shall print out the proper words and stick them over the top.

Deborah

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Website.
Ship of Fools flickr group

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Originally posted by Newman's Own:
Apart from it must verge on sacrilege to tamper with such a classic as Adeste Fideles, I have a strong sense that writing new words to hymns is highly illegal (at least, if they are under copyright.) Somehow, even though I loathe hymns that are on 'war' and 'soldier' themes, I think it is odd to tamper with those that are well-known.

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