Enjoying reading Worship by the Book at the moment. Like I was saying the other day, Carson’s introduction on the nature of ‘all-of-life’ and ‘corporate’ worship is worth the price of the book. Mark Ashton, one of the contributors, draws attention to a specially adapted version of an old hymn penned by Peter Baker (not that Peter Baker) highlighting the treasuring of older hymns and musical styles above the new and the modern.
I found this both amusing and depressing in equal measure, leaving me thinking that there is a great onus on the modern hymn/songwriter to not be guilty of these mere caricatures without due reason to be:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
For most of us, when asked our mind,
Admit we still most pleasure find
In hymns of ancient days,
In hymns of ancient days.
The simple lyrics, for a start,
Of many a modern song,
Are far too trite to touch the heart;
Enshrine no poetry, nor art;
And go on much too long,
And go on much too long.
O, for a rest from jollity,
And syncopated praise!
What happened to tranquility?
The silence of eternity
Is hard to hear these days,
Is hard to hear these days.
Send thy deep hush subduing all
Those happy claps that drown
The tender whisper of thy call;
Triumphalism is not all,
For sometimes we feel down,
For sometimes we feel down.
Drop thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strummings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress
Of always having to be blessed:
Give us a bit of peace,
Give us a bit of peace.
Breathe through the beats of praise guitar
Thy coolness and thy balm;
Let dumb be dumb, bring back the lyre,
Enough of earthquake, wind and fire,
Let’s hear it for some calm,
Let’s hear it for some calm.
Peter Baker, quoted in Carson, D.A. ed., Worship by the Book. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002, 92.
