Calvary's Hymn Sing—August 22, 2010
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Calvary’s Hymn Sing—August 22, 2010 Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. Psalm 30:4 What happens when you hear your favorite hymn in church? Does a smile cross your face at the sound? Do you fall back into a memory of long ago when you first learned that song? For many of us, hymn singing has been a part of our life from the beginning. If our mothers attended church, we heard those songs even before we were born! Now you can select your favorite hymn to be used in worship at our Annual Hymn Sing on August 22, 2010. In preparation of weaving selections into worship, Pastor Dean and our organist, Dr. Beverly Howard are planning the service well in advance. Have you chosen your favorite hymns for this service? Are you ready to praise God through the hymns? Brother Greg Litmer claims that “One of the basic ideas behind the word praise is to cause to shine. Praise means to laud, to extol, to commend. When we sing praises describing God’s glory that glory will shine.” Of course, not everyone loves to sing. Some people read the words from the hymnal, but never open their vocal chords. Sometimes, we think our voices aren’t good enough to raise them in hymn or praise singing. Yet, along with prayer, listening to the ser- mon, giving our tithes and offerings, singing is a part of our worship, our great praise. Hymn singing has a long history. The word “hymn” actually is from the Greek “hymnos”, and were songs written to honor heroes and important figures and gods. The Hebrews chanted and used songs in praise and worship of God. The Book of Psalms is known as the Hebrew hymn book. We recall Paul and Silas singing psalms and hymns in the jail. The structure of hymnody has changed through the centuries: Latin texts sung to plainsong hymns; Reformationists who wanted to speak in the vernacular, use songs sung by the con- gregants, not just by the choir and monks; hymns based on scripture in rhyme and rhythm, so they were easier to sing and to understand; and, as one scholar writes, “the Reformation coincided with the world-shaking introduction of printing and this gave church-goers access to many vernacu- lar hymns.” Eventually, hymns began to express the religious feelings of the people, and by the 18th century, John and Charles Wesley insisted that hymns “should be written to stir the con- gregation, re-inforce its religious emotions and play on the ‘feel good’ factor.” You, dear reader, may look back to your childhood and remember singing Sunday School songs, or playful songs during Vacation Bible School ADDRESS CHANGE SERVICE days or at church camps, singing around the July 2010 Vol. XLI Issue 7 campfire. These tunes live in our hearts and August Issue Periodical memories for years. I remember as my The Calvary Call (USP 555-660) is published mother grew very old, she often monthly January through November, by Calvary didn’t remember the ordinary things Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Ave., River- about her life. side, CA 92501-4198. Periodicals postage is paid at Riverside, CA. Postmaster: Address changes to -Cont. on Page 8 and 9 the Calvary Call, 4495 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92501-4198. Calvary Call September 2010 Page 1 Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Av., Riverside, CA 92501-4198, Phone (951) 686-0761 runs through lunch on Sunday. Saturday options in- clude paintball, high ropes course, golf, hiking, moun- tain biking, or just ocean watching. I’m driving my truck so I can take four guys and all the equipment you want to bring along including bikes. Check out Jesus sent out the 70 to go about in the region and www.pccci.org and click on the tab for Rancho The Blessings of Going amazing, Spirit-filled life-changing week with 5,000 proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near. At LaScherpa. Mark your calendars today and plan now other teenagers from around the world. We will have the end of Matthew, Jesus commands the disciples to go to go with me. Let me know if you are interested. “In ministering to youth, we need to realize that we have such a traded buttons, t-shirts, experiences of worshipping into all the world teaching everything about God that short time to work with our kids before they are gone from together, small group-sharing that took us deeper in they had learned from him. As modern-day disciples, we Peace and Joy, church—to college, to work, perhaps never to return. We need our faith, and shared stories with other Christian feel the same demand upon us. The purpose of the Dean Kokjer to stop worrying about entertaining them, and concentrate on youth whom we will never forget. church is to go, because we are “the sent ones.” We are the important things—like sharing the radical love of Jesus part of God’s sending, God’s mission in this world of Sundays in August Christ, as many times and in as many ways as possible..” –a The theme, “For Such a Time as This” from Esther 4, is ours. In concrete terms, that means that once worship is August 1 Communion; Pastor Kokjer youth minister (paraphrased). relevant as the youth were asked where they see over on Sundays and we set foot outside the door of the August 8 Pastor Kokjer themselves stepping up like Esther and taking a stand Sanctuary, we have begun once again the task of going August 15 Pastor Thomas Not all of us were blessed to have attended summer for their faith. Next time you see the kids and the out into our own worlds, our own lives, and into our August 22 Hymn Sing Sunday camp as kids. But for those who did, it was magical. youth, you may see them looking a little differently, own neighborhoods as the sent ones of God. When we August 29 Pastor Kokjer There is something special about being away from the result of a transformational experience. Rejoice in get there, we discover that the Kingdom of God has your regular routine, your parents, and your the transformation of the faith of our youth that you already preceded us and our task is to point to it. We are What does "IHS" mean? neighborhood that creates a whole new experience. are helping to support in so many ways. all part of God’s mission to Riverside and to our When you are in an environment like Big Bear Lake, neighborhoods and to our places of work and play. There are many creative interpretations of this sign, with the blue, blue sky, the wide open spaces, the Where else can you influence a young person’s faith. often found stitched into paraments or inscribed on sparkling lake and acres of wildflowers, and the wind Go, and do it! As I write this, I am preparing for a week of study brass crosses — "In His Service," "I Have Suffered," in your hair…well, you just can’t go there and come leave to attend the second year of The Academy for "Iesus Hominum Salvator" (Jesus, Savior of Human- back the same person. Blessings, Missional Preaching (July 18-24). I will hear lectures by ity), or "In Hoc Signo" (In This Sign). These are all homiletics professors on Missional Preaching. Others in "backronyms," however, spurious acronyms created I first attended camp as a Girl Scout when I was eight our group of 25 will share how their congregations have after the fact. and cried myself to sleep the first night. After break- acted missionally in the year between these sessions. We fast the first day, when they showed us the horses we will worship together twice daily. I will preach to and be The symbol is actually an ancient monogram for would be riding and caring for that week, home was a critiqued by eight of my colleagues. I will get to return Christ (or Christogram), derived from the first three distant memory. the favor for each of their sermons, as well. We will talk letters of "Jesus" in Greek: iota - eta - sigma: Ι Η Σ. about ways we will take all this week of learning back to The summer I was ten, my mother took me and my our congregations and our own peculiar places of doing three older siblings and her mother from Los Angeles ministry. to Montreal, Canada, for Expo `67. There were so Dear Calvary Family, many things to see along the way as we car camped Pastor Erin will have a similar experience in August across this beautiful country of ours. The gas stations There is no way to thank you properly for all the in Estes Park, Colorado. Thank you as a congregation were different, people spoke with accents, we ate re- prayers, the get-well wishes, the wonderful cards, and for your support for each of us to engage in study leave gional food as we went from place to place. It was all all the “thinking about you” messages I have re- to renew our spirits. a wide-eyed wondrous journey for us and I will al- ceived during this illness the past few weeks. ways be grateful for an adventurous mother (and The Hymn Sing for this summer will be August 22. grandmother). Many thanks to each of you for your care and love. I For a different format we are asking you to submit your hope to be back with everyone at Calvary before too hymn requests any Sunday from now through August 8.