When singing hymns with my own friends and family (outside of church), I notice just how beautiful voices in harmony are; particularly when the voices you’re hearing are your own along with the voices of people you know and care deeply about. This is not because it sounds better, but rather because you understand the situation much more intimately. You know the stories of the people singing with you. You know the hurts, needs, and passions of your grandpa who is singing tenor. You know even more intimately the sound of your wife singing the soprano part. You understand yourself most of all and how everything seems to fit together in the context of the almighty God. Singing hymns is not an intellectual exercise; not simply something to challenge yourself with. It’s a spiritual discipline (and a neglected one for certain). And if this post seems mystical and odd to you, that’s really the point I’m making. I don’t understand the benefits of doing this spiritual discipline, but I know that they are there and that scripture commands us to do so.
Check out the homepage for the hymns project; I unpack this a little more there. Sing some hymns with your friends and family. Bring up the idea in natural conversation and talk them into it. And for you skeptics out there; just try it. It’ll take five minutes for you to give it a try and you will not be wasting your time.