From Our Director of Music Ministry

April 2008

Midtown Coeur d’Alene has been waiting with great anticipation for the opening of the new Thai restaurant on 4th Street. The colorful roof and fancy façade have been enough to keep conversation buzzing, and for many, mouths watering. Having been there several times already, I can tell you that it was well worth the wait. On a recent walk down 4th, I cited Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Mexican, Cantonese, and Chinese cuisine among others, all within a noses’ whiff of the same sidewalk. These tastes and smells, combined with a bit of ambience captivate us again and again as an opportunity to live briefly inside a culture that isn’t our own. Of course, there’s a sense of adventure that comes with this type of dining, when you order by number, or try to sound out the name of a foreign dish. You really don’t know what they’re going to bring you, but as they say, “When in Rome.” It’s an opportunity to form judgments too, like a food critic would. “Too slimy, too spicy, too dark, too light, not enough this, too big a portion, If I was cooking this at home, I’d...”

A walk through our new hymnal would reveal something quite similar. The music chosen for the Evangelical Lutheran Worship represents a wide range of cultures and worldviews, including parts of the world that were not represented before: Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean to name a few. Whereas a short time ago, our mainstream hymns could be easily classified as either a. German or b. some sort of Scandinavian, this is no longer the case. In fact, the odds are pretty good that if you flip open the hymnal to any random page, you’ll find music from a culture that doesn’t fit into the old norm. You’ll also notice that it is still possible to avoid these hymns altogether, sticking for the most part to what we’ve always done; compromising on a word or two that was changed for inclusive language or to avoid a masculine pronoun. That was intentional, if for no other reason than, while we might have the hankering for some Pad Thai, Curry, or Falafel, perhaps we’re not necessarily ready to crave these same international influences on our hymnody. Oh, but it does make life more interesting, doesn’t it? Interesting, also, that all the world can be brought to our musical palate on Sundays, and that worship is truly a global event.

Don’t be surprised in the coming months if we sing a hymn or two that doesn’t exactly tempt the taste buds. If we do, shift your glance to the bottom of the page where the credits are. On one side you’ll learn the author of the tune, text, and when they lived. You’ll also see a hymn tune name, on the opposite side of the page in capital letters. While we don’t usually refer to hymns by their tune name, they too have a great story to tell. This is a good habit to get into whether the hymn is completely foreign to you, or it’s one of those old favorites. When we can get into the lives of the poets and the composers, to live in their time and to see the world as they see it, we sing with greater conviction, and worship more fully.

On behalf of the Synod I would heartily invite you to attend a very special Hymn Sing with Mark Sedio and Martin Marty at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist on Spokane’s South Hill, at 8pm on Friday, April 18. I’ve been helping to put this program together, and it promises to be truly outstanding. This event takes place as part of our annual Synod Assembly, and there’s a host of great events planned. I urge you to see the synod website for the full lineup; www.ewaidsynod.org.

Tinntinnabula, the adult bell choir would also invite you to attend the North Idaho Spring Ring-In, featuring several handbell choirs from our area. The concert will be at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Coeur d’Alene at 4pm on Sunday, April 13th.


Blessings,
Brad Schultz
Director of Music Ministry
brad@trinitylutheran-cda.org

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