A New Hymnal

This past week I was in Milwaukee for the National Circuit Counselor Conference, with about 800 people in attendance. Each one of us received a free copy of the newly published hymnal that the LCMS Commission on Worship has been working on for the past few years. I thought that was very generous of them and I'm grateful to have this new worship resource.

The new hymnal is pretty good. It's structured very well and is user friendly. It also reflects a move toward a bit of balance, as there are new liturgies and hymns. It's always helpful to have some fresh expressions of the Gospel. And get this-- a guitar accompaniment version is available! This is unprecedented in the LCMS, which usually frowns on using any instrumentation other than organ, brass, woodwind, or orchestral strings. Guitars have been taboo because they're too "campfire-ish".

The hymnal also contains new rites for Baptism, Weddings, and Funerals. I don't like some of the wording in these, and I would have written them differently. One thing that I'm not too thrilled about is a phrase in the Baptism rite. It is in the prayer that is used once the candidate has had the water applied. It thanks God that the candidate has become a child of God and has been "separated from the multitude of unbelievers". That phrase concerns me, because it sounds stand-offish and arrogant. It makes it appear that the candidate is to have no interaction with unbelievers. It sounds like "us vs. them". I would've used a more positive statement, like "counted among the multitude of believers". That sounds less polemical and is more truthful.

Other than that, it's a great hymnal! Now the concern is transitioning from the present hymnal to the new one! I wonder if the congregation will go for it.