The hymnal keeps the Methodist theology aflame.
But this month, the United Methodist hymnals in Davao City were literally in flames after the Cathedral UMC in Davao City was affected by the fire in the neighborhood.
These hymnals held many memories for the early Christian Methodists that grew in faith in the church. I remember when I was a Junior Youth in the church, our yearly project included wrapping these hymnals with plastics to protect it from wear and tear, dirt and stains. Wrapping these hymnals also meant having to make sure that the hymnals are properly taken cared. That is where my affinity in making sure hymnals are physically cared for started.
When I became a youth, I started participating more in the choir. It always involved having practices for hymns that are going to be used the next Sunday. Yes, choirs back then do not only practice the song for the Choral but also all the hymns that are going to be sang the next Sunday. What more, the choir is supposed to know the hymns that are going to be new and introduced to the congregation if it is unfamiliar to them.
As I became more involved in ministry, I started teaching to the congregation that according to John Wesley, our hymns contain our theology and is formative of our faith. The hymnals are important documents in our church as it holds the theology and expression of our faith. The current trend of our churches singing more of the contemporary songs leads us to the desire to have the burning desire to sing our hymns agian in our worship services. The hymnals will keep our Methodist theology aflame.
