"H" is for Hymns . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

"H" is for 'Hymns.' OK, this, like my post about stained glass windows, may get me in a bit of trouble with some Friends, but hymns it is for my second "H" post.

Odd as it may seem to some who know me, I do love the old familiar hymns that I grew up singing in Church – I grew in Zion United Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana. And as the choir came in each Sunday morning for worship with their choir robes and collars on, the whole congregation would rise and all would sing 'Holy, Holy, Holy!' Funny thing is that even though I haven't been to worship at Zion in over 35 years I still know all the words to this song. I can only recall singing this a couple of times since I first attended worship at Mooresville Friends Meeting, back in mid-July 1984.

As a child I spent several years singing in the Children's Choir, if you attended 'Saturday Church School,' from 2nd grade through 8th grade (Confirmation class), you were in the Children's Choir – there was no choice. We sang a few times during the year, but not a lot, as I recall. My younger cousins Brenda and Michelle and I were chosen a lot by Mr. Vogel, the Choir Director/Organist, to sing solos/duets/trios. Many years later, I think it was December of 1986, at my Grandpa Jena's funeral, I happened to ask Mr. Vogel why he picked on the three of us so much. His answer shouldn't have surprised me, he said 'Because I could always count on you girls showing up, knowing all the words and that you would sing loud enough and clear enough so that everyone in the Church could hear you.' Really? That's why? And how did he come to that conclusion???? Simple . . . he knew that our Grandma and Grandpa Jena sat in the balcony (clear at the back of the Sanctuary) and he knew that we would sing the words so that Grandma and Grandpa would be able to hear each and every word! We didn't use mics back then. Oh, I suppose he was right there, because I think we would have heard about it after worship if we hadn't! I do believe at the time though, that my cousins and I rather enjoyed doing it. And I'm sure that our Grandparents were very proud to hear us singing.

 

So, what hymns do I like to sing? Well, I have divided them into a few categories here – hymns; ones I learned at Church as a child; ones I learned at Church Camp; ones I sang when I was in Rainbow for Girls; and the ones we’d sing in German with Grandpa Jena at Christmas.

 

Hymns: Amazing Grace!; Count Your Blessings; Faith of Our Fathers; For the Beauty of the Earth; God of Grace and God of Glory; God of Our Fathers; Great Is Thy Faithfulness; Holy, Holy, Holy!; I Wonder, as I Wander; In Christ There Is No East or West; In My Heart There Rings a Melody; In the Garden; Just A Closer Walk With Thee; Make Me A Blessing; Nearer My God, to Thee; Showers of Blessing; The Church’s One Foundation; The Old Rugged Cross; There’s Something About That Name; This Is My Father’s World; This Is the Day; We Gather Together and We Give Thee but Thine Own.

 

Some of the ones I learned at Church as a child: Fairest Lord Jesus; Go Tell It on the Mountain; He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands; Jesus Loves Me; Jesus Loves the Little Children; Onward Christian Soldiers; They’ll Know We Are Christians and What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

One that I learned at Church Camp: Let Us Break Bread Together and Pass It On.

Ones I sang when I was in Rainbow for Girls: Bless Be the Tie That Binds; Have Thine Own Way Lord; How Great Thou Art and Living for Jesus.

And the ones we sang with Grandpa Jena – in German at Christmas: O Christmas Tree and Silent Night! Holy Night!

I could have included Christmas, Easter and other holiday/Holy Day songs, but the list would have been really long, so I chose to limit myself here.

At least a couple of times a year at Mooresville Friends instead of ‘special music’ Friends are asked what their ‘favorite song’ is . . . and we sing the first verse of several songs. It’s always fun to hear which songs are called out and shared, many of us seem to like a lot of the same songs, but every now and again a new song pops in the mix.

So, what is your favorite hymn? What is it that draws you to it? Is it the words? Is it the tune? Does it remind you of someone or some special time in your life?

This Spring, one of the memory verses that the 3^rd & 4^th grade Weekday Religious Education students that I work with have learned is Psalms 100. The students not only learn the words but also learn it as a song. I will close with Psalms 100:

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who made us

and not we ourselves;

We are His people

and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving

And into His courts with praise;

Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting

And His truth endures to all generations.

For this post I've added a recipe for '(Cheesy) Hash Brown Potato Casserole' - this is a good side dish with most any meat dish and is always a good choice for Monthly Meeting pitch-ins (shared meals) AND since I did mention songs we sung with my Grandpa Jena at Christmas . . . a recipe for 'Hard Cake' an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation - I can trace it back to my Great-Great-Grandmother Jena from Germany. The recipe was given to my mother, after she married my father (June 11, 1955) by my Grandpa Jena's sister - my Great Aunt Hilde - this is my fathers' side of the family, so it goes back over 150 years! My mother would make one once a year, before Christmas, cut it into 16 squares and wrap it neatly in foil and place it in the freezer. She would take it out Christmas Eve late afternoon just before heading over to Grandma & Grandpa's house for family Christmas dinner. This along with the 'Filled Ice Box Cookies' was one of the gifts we gave every year to Grandpa. He'd always be upset that mom gave it to him fresh frozen . . . as he'd take it straight to the kitchen, open it up and have to let it sit out on the counter for nearly a week for it to dry out, get hard, so he could eat it!

 

(Cheesy) Hash Brown Potato Casserole

serves 6

2 pound bag hash browns (cubed)

1/2 cup margarine, melted
3/4 pint sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoon dried onion
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix all together and place in a 9x13" baking dish.  Cover.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake at least another 30 minutes, or until top is browned.

HARD CAKE 

1 cup broken walnuts
1 cup dates, cut in thirds
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Beat eggs and sugar together (add a lump - I'm picturing about a Tablespoon - of butter/margarine to keep from being so hard), add nuts, dates and flour. Stir thoroughly and add enough more flour to make a stiff dough.

Bake at 350 degrees F, in an 8 inch square cake tin for 40 minutes.

Cut into 2 inch squares while warm. Turn pan upside down and let cool.