Two Sundays ago, one of my mentees in church commented that she sees me singing most of the hymns off the top of my head, verse after verse, word for word, with many of these hymns having four to five verses.
The truth is that I love hymns, and I have always loved hymns as a child. I grew up singing hymns in the Baptist church, and throughout primary school, we sang hymns on the assembly ground at the Staff School, University of Ibadan. As a tradition, we celebrated Thanksgiving yearly in school, and oh my, how can I ever forget those hymns that we sang in joyful harmony. It’s so nostalgic as I type this. In fact, I am singing now ‘We plow the fields and scatter the good seeds on the land’ in my head right now.
I joined the junior choir as a little girl (I think 7/8 years old), and we sang hymns in parts from the Baptist hymnal. In my early days in junior and senior choir, I was a soprano singer. Now, I am an alto singer. My voice has deepened, and I can no longer hit those high notes in the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’, but that doesn’t matter now; my voice remains an instrument of worship, from high soprano to powerful alto, we move
Funny, I sing alto naturally in every song, including the National Anthem. My staff threw a jab at me the other day that I like to show myself. I just shook my head for her thinking “omode o mo ogun oun pe l’efo” meaning ‘pikin no know medicine, e dey call am vegetable'”Before you were born, I have been singing my Alto”
People who think hymns are old-fashioned have missed the point. Hymns are filled with spiritual meaning; their lyrics speak to the heart and soul. The history behind most hymns shows that they were not ordinary; they were inspired by God himself.
Ephesians 5:19 says, “…speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” It means that this tradition must continue till Jesus comes.
I have many favorite hymns etched in my heart and mind, so whenever we are told to open our hymnals to hymn XYZ, I just search through the memory chip in my brain, and if the song is there I sing along joyfully in alto (if I am not leading)
Some of my favorite hymns are; Blessed assurance Jesus is mine, Great is Thy Faithfulness, How Great Thou Art, Christian seek not yet repose, It is well with my soul, Guide me oh though Great Redeemer, The Great Physician, Rock of Ages cleft for me, Oh happy day, The old rugged cross, to name a few.
What are your favorite hymns?
