Notes from the Bench: Hymn 573

Notes from the Bench: Hymn 573

Jacob Manier, Organist/Choirmaster This Sunday’s final hymn is one of my favorites. Incredibly rich, both textually and musically, it is worth studying a bit before we sing it together. I always try to match the final hymn to the missional directive of the...
Notes from the Bench: The Trouble with Hymn 596

Notes from the Bench: The Trouble with Hymn 596

Hymn 596 is widely considered one of the strongest texts for social justice and national peace in our hymnal. The author, Henry Scott Holland, an Anglican priest, was founder of The Christian Social Union which, in the 1880s, was regarded as “almost alone in proclaiming the injustice of present society.”

I’m With Her: Holding Mom’s Hand at the Crossroads

I’m With Her: Holding Mom’s Hand at the Crossroads

by Jacob Manier In our Baptismal Covenant, we pledge to respect the dignity of every person. We make this promise with utmost sincerity even as we wrap it in liturgies that cling nearly exclusively to masculine pronouns and imagery. In our scriptures, hymns, and...