Hymn Study from NPH

Paul Gerhardt wrote many of the finest Christian hymns of all times. 

 

A Study of Lutheran Hymnody

Series: Bible Insights

Goeffrey A. Kieta

This Bible study in the NPH Bible Insights series works through various hymns from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. These seven lessons deal with Lutheran hymns in roughly chronological order, with some information on the periods in which they were written, plus one additional lesson on hymns from from the new Christian Worship: Supplement.
Author Kieta leads class members through many of the great hymns that express the truths of Scripture in beautiful language set to timeless melodies which make the best tools for Christians to confess their faith and sing praises to God.

Class members leave this class with a renewed appreciation for their Lutheran hymns and the ability to sing them with greater understanding and enthusiasm.

Lessons include:
Sing Praises to God
Hymns of the Early Church
Martin Luther's Hymns
Hymns of the Reformation Era
Hymns from the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran Hymnody During the Age of Opposition
Lutheran Hymns in the Awakening and Beyondd
(Optional Lesson) Lutheran Hymns in Christian Worship: Supplement
Leader's Guide 54 pages, Student Lessons 45 pages. Teaching index 6. Published 2009. Teaching Index
View Sample Pages
Catalog Item Number: OL-221158
Price: $41.50

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GJ - I didn't get my free review copy, but I thought this was worth listing anyway. This kind of study will go a long way to encourage congregations to sing good hymns with Biblical content.

PS

My jocular comment, above, got me a PDF of the book, so I was able to read through it. I like the way the various eras of hymn-writing are discussed, with Biblical passages throughout the study, illustrating Biblical hymns.

We tend to read and sing hymns by season, and overlook biographical information. This is a good study for making people aware of their Lutheran heritage. They will also find out more about theological movements influencing hymns. The Pietistic hymnal collected under Francke's son-in-law profoundly affected Lutheran worship.

When unionistic Lutherans want to be more like the Reformed, they mock Lutheran hymns, liturgy, and sermons. Lutheran is not a brand, where we need a new, improved version to market to the masses. A Lutheran hymn is faithful to God's Word, emphasizing justification by faith and the Means of Grace.

People like to sing familiar hymns, so congregations should always keep the great Lutheran hymns in rotation rather than relying on the Methodist-Babtist hymns favored by default. There are many ways to educate a congregation about hymns:

1. Featuring a hymn of the month.
   
2. Writing up hymns, authors, and composers in the bulletin.
   
3. Discussing hymns in the service.
   
4. Using a hymn as a doctrinal lesson.
   
5. Following Luther in replacing parts of the liturgy with hymns.
   
6. Copying the embed code of a You Tube hymn into the congregation's website or blog, so people can sing along at home. Ichabod has a long list of great hymns to sing, including German ones.