Favourite hymn

And Can It Be - our neighbour the vicar of St. Andrews, Park Walk, Chelsea used to bounce when he sang it. After his death (we miss him and his jokes greatly) we cremated his surplice and cassock, singing this hymn lustily.

Also Tell Out My Soul, Lead Us Heavenly Father Lead Us, Come Holy Ghost My Soul Indpire

In the Bleak Midwinter

Always cry when I’ve sung it for some reason but only when it’s sung to the ‘original’ music ?

For a while, I attended a happy-clappy Christian fellowship but I don't, now, remember the songs we sang there.
They were all based on the Bible, btw, so it's not that the words were banal.
I think it's because we'd read the words from an overhead screen, so no need to memorise anything, whereas in church the usual thing is to glance down & memorise a line or two at a time so one can look up again while singing.

It’s not religious thread - it’s thread about favourite hymns. It’s in Chat for one thing.

I thought that too Nelliemoser

It would not take much to define the original denominations of all those here by the hymns they choose. I define myself now as a non believer but those but they still get to me.

Non comformist . Those rousing songs were written for large congreations
Our choices stand out a mile with our religious backgrounds.

And did those feet in ancient times' etc we'd all shout 'No' because they didn't!
Well, will we ever know Jane10 Because there is no proof that they did, there is no proof that he didn't come here as a boy

Is it a rhetorical question?

Thank you to all for the respectful contributions - so refreshing to see few haters on NINE pages of a religious thread..mine would be 'O, for a thousand tongues';'There is a Redeemer'; 'I need Thee every hour'...ah, brilliant, soul-stirring stuff!

Lily flower I'm glad that you have found some meaning in 'Jerusalem'. We never did. When we had to sing 'And did those feet in ancient times' etc we'd all shout 'No' because they didn't! But you keep enjoying it. It's your choice.
It's mindless and meaningless to me.

Make me a channel of your peace

Excellent post - brought back many memories.

By Cool Siloam's Shady Rill
Walk with me, O my Lord
Hail Queen of Heaven
In the Garden

I first heard In the Garden at a friend's funeral and only a handful of people were singing as, like me, they had never heard it before but I think it is beautiful and it obviously meant something to the deceased's family. It's an American hymn which was recorded by Alan Jackson.

Yes * Rosiebee* lovely words. My mum's favourite, played at her funeral.

I've gone to sleep the last two nights with my earphones in playing some of these lovely hymns on a youtube play list. Some I hadn't heard for years.

Isn't this lovely?

I'm reminded by the choices of others that there are many, many more hymns I like.
Hills of the North
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

I can't sing, 'My song is love unknown' without weeping, although I love it.

Some of the modern ones include:
The very poignant, 'He grew the tree'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMac7q8fWbs

'All of my heart'
songsofpraise.org/song.php?songid=1

And of course 'The Wedding Song' by Noel Paul Stookey

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZbhrO4IEtI

I watch the sunrise always brings a tear to my eye,sung at all our family funerals and top of the list for my own

Sorry, should read ‘ideological misery’. Predictive text! Doh!

Jane10, the words of ‘Jerusalem’ are by the poet William Blake and are by no means meaningless. He is calling for or predicting a time when the spirit of Christ will permeate the English land and people. The ‘dark Satanic mills’ have been interpreted as part of the oppressive factories of the Industrial Revolution or, perhaps, even the universities which propagate inequality and an ideology misery.

The metre of the poem, iambic tetrameter, is compelling and powerful and lends itself to the wonderful tune which generally accompanies it.

Blake is both simple and complex and can be accessed by those for whom poetry is difficult and alien. It is no surprise it is the most popular hymn and the choice of most for an alternative anthem.

I vow to the my country
All things bright and beautiful

The uniform was nice, though Galen!
That was about all by the sounds of it.

I vow to thee my country
Jerusalem

Great is thy Faithfulness esp for the verse:

Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

It's going to be one of my funeral hymns.
Other hymn will be The King of Love my Shepherd is.

Good for you Galen for ignoring Miss Gent. With a name like that clearly all was not well.

It was horrible! The most miserable days of life.
It was all pro religion and anti sex.
Miss Gent wanted me to go to Oxford and read theology. I wanted to do sciences and go to Birmingham to do medicine.
I left after O levels and went to tech to take A levels, then went to Birmingham and read medicine.

I don't remember singing Non Nobis at my school (perhaps the choir did though).
I desperately wanted to go to The Friary, I think I might have been too involved with Mallory Towers at the time.
Me too, just because I liked the uniform!

North Staffs. Galen.
I desperately wanted to go to The Friary, I think I might have been too involved with Mallory Towers at the time.