’Thanks & Praise’, the new Church of Ireland Hymnal Supplement
It is now 20 years since a committee was called together to produce a new edition of the Church Hymnal. During that time many new hymns have been written and popularised, and some older hymns have returned to regular use. Thanks & Praise has been compiled as a supplement to the Church Hymnal to respond to these changes, and to further resource parishes and congregations to offer the best they can in worship to God through song.
As Augustine is often quoted as saying, ‘He who sings prays twice’. I think this is true for two reasons. Firstly, singing is deliberate and intentional, and involves not just the mind and the lips, but the whole body through posture, breath control and so on. Secondly, singing has a power to impart words to the mind and soul, which, to quote St Paul, allows the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.
To use a rather blunt analogy, it is not uncommon to hear worshippers humming a hymn tune as they leave church, it is much less common to hear them quoting the sermon (unless there was something controversial said which they disagree with)! Through music, words become embedded into our minds and hearts, and create a repository of devotion for us to draw on. I would almost be afraid to speculate how much of our doctrine and theology is imbibed through the hymns we sing. It certainly places an immense responsibility on the person responsible for choosing the hymns.
Thanks & Praise is a collection of 227 hymns, songs and liturgical settings. Many of the items included are already familiar, or are texts which can be sung to well–known tunes. Some are new compositions which deserve to become more popular, and some have been written by members of the Church of Ireland, to continue a tradition of hymn–writing which began in the days of St Patrick. A special emphasis has been placed on music for children and young people.
There are two main editions, full music, and words only (large print). There is no melody edition on this occasion. There are also kindle, electronic and Braille editions available. A Companion gives the stories behind the hymns, and there is an enlarged Sing to the Word, a guide to choosing appropriate hymns for each Sunday. Alongside this most of the hymns will be recorded for churches who cannot rely on live music each week.
The books will be launched and distributed in September, but a series of roadshows during May and June have introduced the book to local parishes and congregations. Orders are being collected by Church House, Dublin, and full details are available on the website.
A sampler, containing a selection of items from the book, has been sent to all incumbents, along with order forms and a complete list of contents – these are also available on the website.
With thanks to Revd Dr Peter Thompson (Liturgical Advisory Committee)