I once ran across a modern “hymn” that’s now being sung in some PCUSA churches. The song was all about climate change and praying for God to save us from global warming. And of course, the reaction it was getting from the reformed circles I run in was, this is heresy, this is garbage, why is this even a song?

And while, sure, that’s all worth discussing, I read through the lyrics and just went 🤮. Not because it was about climate change. No, something more fundamental was happening: Theology aside, I couldn’t stand the song because it had absolutely no sense of poetry.

See, poetry is key to a great church song. We need something to chew on, something to think about. Something to meditate on. And when the song is full of truth, the poetry makes the truth seem all the more beautiful.

Hymns aren’t just something we sing. I believe a hymn is much more. It’s a means for God’s people to sink their teeth into Scripture and theology, reflecting on what God has done in a rich feast of words. The greatest hymns, ancient and modern, have been written in response to Scripture or a theological truth. The hymn writer has invited us to collectively meditate on God’s Word, or God’s attributes, or a deep and meaningful concept that we can’t simply put into a few words and be done with.

Hymns call us to ponder. Hymns provide us ideas to think on. Hymns call us to see and savor Christ.

And so poetry matters. But in general we’ve forgotten how to pause and linger with a verse. In some case, we’ve even forgotten how to understand poetry in the first place. That’s why this blog exists. We’re going to take some time to enjoy the poetry in our hymns. Join me in recapturing the lost art of savoring what we sing.