I have always had a pet hate of singing hymns where the language of the hymn is not easily understood or is blatantly wrong. To open ourselves to ridicule because we don't think clearly and sharply enough about what we are about in our journey of faith.
Many years ago I used to speak at various Women's Fellowship type meetings, Mother's Unions, Sisterhoods etc about hymns and their language. They must be accessible to people to be comprehensible, to be singable to be owned. I hear you saying 'nonsense Rhian', but we are saying it from many years experience of the Church and of its antiquated language (so often) and its quirks. Of course we all know that language needs to be comprehensible and clear, but do we all understand?
"Let all the world" is a well loved hymn by George Herbert, with a jolly faster moving tune, but why are we thinking about corners in a sphere, the world? This is a tiny issue here, but it isn't correct. Of course we do know what Herbert meant, but many don't. A stranger who ventures in to a service - when we can sing again - who hears these words, what are we saying? What is understood by it? Another example is to be found in "Gladly the cross I'd bear". How many youngsters have heard it and thought it was indeed a crossed-eyed bear like the lion, Clarence, in Daktari and in this case, called Gladly.
It seems so straight forward, so misunderstood, but has had many people confused over the years. And can it be one of the great Wesley, Non Conformist hymns and certainly not a favourite of mine at all, but what does "thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray" actually mean? Again we know what it means, because we have grown up with it, and we put it in context of the other verses, but is gobbledygook to so many, mumbo jumbo, religious language. Think about Shine Jesus Shine and the refrain flow river flow, how understood is that phrase to people and out of context? This is a modern hymn yet we still fail to embrace people from outside the worshipping congregation. So many love the music and many of the words, but do not understand it all. And so I could go on with more hymns. Our language does not embrace the people.
It is so important I believe, that we use words that are accessible and understood in our worship, in our hymns, in our prayers and in our use of religious language. I do have a great and deep love for old and even ancient hymns, but they do need to be embracing of all and as clear as possible.
There is a mystery about our worship, I believe, and feel that it should be there - not everything can be easily explained away, but today look and listen for those phrases, words which maybe confuse us or others. Let us try and not leave others on the outside simply because we have archaic language or do not explain our faith well. The phrase "emptied of pride and hungry for your grace" We can follow this, but for a visitor probably not. We use religious language which is beautiful and well loved but not always clear for others to follow. How many people have walked away from the church because they don't understand us?!
Today's challenge is to say what we mean both in and out of church, to be inclusive with our language and embracing of all.
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