Monthly column on hymns and songs

For those with ten minutes to spare before the opening prayer, or with permission to borrow, the church's hymn book can open up a world of delight even before we get as far as hymn number one.

We have spoken of Prefaces before. How many Christian Brethren, I wonder (note the capitals), were surprised to find that the Preface to the Christian Worship of 1975 was dated 'All Saints' Day'? For those none the wiser, that is November 1. For those despising the observance of any such dates, I think you know when Hallowe'en is, or was. And Guy Fawkes, Remembrance, New Year, Mothers' Day, Bank Holiday, Half Term? Even September 11 now looks set for a place in the international calendar; one American journal has published a whole batch of hymns for the occasion.

Remnants of Rome?

One snag of abandoning all semblance of a 'church's year', or growling that it looks too much like the rags and remnants of Rome, is not that you have no shape to your year, but that you adopt either a secular shape (semesters, inset days, anniversaries, days off) or a pagan one. Your local primary school may be well on in observing Eid, Ramadan, Chinese New Year, and Hallowe'en, but may not have the first idea when Ascension Day or Palm Sunday occur. Let alone All Saints.

Who are the saints?

'Saints' is a great New Testament word. It is plural rather than singular, inclusive not exclusive, describing the living and departed rather than just the latter, with a status granted by God and not by the bishop of Rome. Local churches inheriting the historic title of 'All Saints' have less of a problem than the St. Anne's, St. Botolph's, St. Helen's, or All Souls' of this land. November 1, or the Sunday nearest, gives a good opportunity for explaining who and what real saints were and are. And for choosing some of the hymns tailor-made for such a festival.

For all the saints: Arthurian in its imagery, biblical in its thrust; as to its scope, grand; as to its length, substantial.

Rejoice in God's saints: the finest contemporary hymn I know on this theme; Fred Pratt Green, 1986. In a metre which will take one of several familiar and working tunes.

Come, ye saints, and raise the anthem: more stirring stuff depending on a revised first line from the original 'Come, ye faithful'.

Let saints on earth together sing: some may be familiar with variant openings, including Wesley's original 'Come, let us join our friends above'.

Jesus invites his saints - to the Holy Communion.

Or the hymns which do not feature saints in their opening line, but which include them in their focus. 'Through all the changing scenes of life' has 'Fear him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear'. 'Give me the wings of faith' has 'the saints above, how great their joys, how great their glories be'. 'How bright those glorious spirits shine': martyrs rather than saints, but some will be joining their company even as we sing. 'Ye (You) holy angels bright' manages to get us all in, including the saints who toil below.

John Wesley's view of this 'day which I peculiarly love' used to be well-known. Those who choose to ignore it for reasons of supposed conscience, he said, must be highly superstitious! Well, he would, wouldn't he?

Why do we need a church calendar?

Remnants of Rome?

Who are the saints?

Christopher Idle

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