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 PrintableVersion A door for the Word36 new hymns written between 2002 & 2005A new song in my mouthA DOOR FOR THE WORD Why do pastors who spend much prayer and care over their sermons (and congregations who quickly spot if they don’t) remain content with the third-rate when they stand up to sing? It is almost as odd to find churches for whom a ‘good balance’ of music means a blend of old hymns and new songs. New hymns can convey the best of both, and be as nourishingly biblical and practically relevant as the preaching. Such disclosures will surprise no one who knows the hymns of Bishop ‘TDS’; nor will the format of this recent collection, with its engaging Foreword and thorough notes and indexing — a joy to browsers and choosers alike. And for singers, three dozen hymns; so much more than ‘Tell out, my soul’ that as the author turns 80, the palm tree of Psalm 92 comes to mind, with more fruit yet to appear. The alphabetical order will not prevent us from noting a part-series of hymns based on the Old Testament’s final books, ‘known, slightly disparagingly perhaps, as “the minor prophets”’; thus Malachi evokes the topical lines ‘Shall villainy and vice prevail, corruption lead the weak astray?’. Five are from the Psalms, including two versions of Psalm 1 (a stiff test for versifiers over four centuries), the trusting realism of 3 (‘How dark the night of cloud and cares’) and a compact summary of 107. The rest are mostly rooted in NT themes; what a godsend for those who give those extra moments, well before Saturday night, to match the hymns with the teaching! The familiar metres of many could accommodate traditional tunes; others could stir more adventurous souls to creative discovery. If it was challenging to be approached by the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers, the notes on the result typically refer to six other English-speaking authors, and (of course) the Bible. The author’s painstaking word-selection is equalled by his use of Scripture, not on a ‘cut-and-paste’ basis but integrated with its original context and the flow of the hymn. It is hard to pick favourites, but don’t miss ‘Break into glad exultant song, forgiven, loved and blessed’; nor the acrostic jeu d’esprit of ‘Jesus Christ is born today’, nor — no, get it and see for yourself. Christopher Idle,
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