Do you have a favourite hymn or hymns ?

[WildRosie]

I'm not remotely religious so asking this question probably makes me a hypocrite but anyway. Most of us were exposed to the rite-of-passage primary school dirges such as When A Knight Won His Spurs (I'm not sure that's even a hymn) and The Golden Cockerel but I'd be surprised if the likes of these featured in a Christian Church service. But, to answer my own question, I think Abide With Me is my favourite, followed closely by Morning Has Broken. I concede these might be popular choices but I don't know that many hymns to begin with .

@NannyR

Raise a hallelujah is a great song, the first time I heard it was at New Wine last year and singing it in the main arena with thousands of people was an amazing experience.

I was there too, and yes!

@SpikeDearheart

Love them, guess you must go to a similar choral church or cathedral

Like several PPs I grew up singing in the church and school choirs and then the university choral society, and most recently the local Bach choir. I’m not sure if I believe fully any more but good music often makes me feel like I do.

I love anything with a Vaughan Williams tune, particularly Come Down O Love Divine to the tune Down Ampney, and his arrangement of For All the Saints.

I also like it when hymns fit the occasion really well- we had Lead Us Heavenly Father, Lead Us as the final hymn at our wedding, and it just felt right to send us off into our new life together (we also had Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven - because my parents had it and it’s practically compulsory at weddings- and Love Divine All Loves Excelling. Don’t know why a PP thought that wasn’t appropriate for weddings!)

I also used to really enjoy singing Hear My Words by Parry with my school choir - it’s ridiculously long really, and it has the hymn O Praise Ye the Lord tacked on to the end- good rousing finish! For some reason I always get it mixed up in my head with Immortal, Invisible which is another good one previously mentioned.

Oh and it’s not really a hymn, but very few things can beat Durham Cathedral choir singing John Tavener’s Christmas Proclamation in the almost darkness during nine lessons and carols.

Some great ones that Id forgotten on here-will add to my Spotify playlist tomorrow.

Does anyone have any recommended choirs/singers to listen to for hymns on Spotify?

Also, can't help but mention O Holy Night

I miss hymn singing too, so much. This thread has made me feel quite sad.

I suspect I am a similar age to the OP as I remember 'When a Knight won his spurs' (which I loved) and 'The Golden Cockerel' (which I didn't ). We sang them at primary school along with 'Daisies are our silver' , 'When lamps are lighted', 'All things bright and beautiful (to 3 different tunes) and my two personal favourites: 'There is a green hill faraway' and 'I love God's tiny creatures'.

I also love many already named by others, in particular:

My Song is Love Unknown
How Great Thou Art (reminds me of my father's funeral)
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind (reminds me of both my parents' funerals)
For All the Saints
O Valiant Hearts (very topical)
Breathe on me Breath of God
Thine is the Glory
And many many more!

Shine Jesus Shine - a modern and uplifting happy flappy number!

Oh holy night! - makes me weep

Guide me oh thou great redeemer - general all round greatness.

Love hymns. Not very religious but love to sing them.

Clappy not flappy!

@BlueDaysTillChristmas

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.

Is there any line more perfect than ‘Forgive our foolish sins’?

Forgive our foolish ways?!

I like the 'still small voice of calm' best

There is a Green Hill
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
Lord of all hopefulnes

Oh oh and any Bach chorale - obvious. O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden from St Matthew Passion.

The Lord's My Shepherd
Praise My Soul The King of Heaven
Abide With Me
Nearer My God to Thee

Love this thread. I have thousands of favourites but here are a few.

Old:

And can it be
Be thou my vision
Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
Guide me oh thou great Redeemer
Abide with Me
O for a thousand tongues
Love Divine

New

O Praise the Name (Anastasis)
Living Hope
In Christ Alone
Cornerstone
How marvellous, how wonderful
The Lion and the Lamb
10,000 Reasons
Oceans
Waymaker
Build your kingdom here
The art of celebration

Shall we do carols now?🤣

While we are quoting Dear Lord and Father, I often think of the line
'Reclothe us in our rightful minds'

• a great way to express that resetting we all need at times.

@LadyGAgain

Shine Jesus Shine - a modern and uplifting happy flappy number!

Oh holy night! - makes me weep

Guide me oh thou great redeemer - general all round greatness.

Love hymns. Not very religious but love to sing them.

Love the happy flappy image

Hark the Herald - belter
Lord of the Dance - the only 'cool' hymn I thought as a teenager

They stick in my memory. Spent a lot of time in school singing hymns. Going to google some.

The Lord's My Shepherd - like a story
Jerusalem - impossible to sing but an epic
O Come All Ye Faithful - always fun

As the Deer
Now the Green Blade Riseth
Beauty for Brokeness.

Kumbayaaaaaaaa M Lord

Pressed to early.....the hymn equivalent of baby shark

There is a green hill
Be Thou my vision
In Christ alone
Hark the Herald Angel's (favourite Christmas one)

Colours of Day.
Make me a channel of your peace.
One more step along the world I go.

@Madhairday Love shine Jesus shine!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Ah here. Need another hanky now.

Such a lovely thread. We are not lost yet. Religious or not.

The fear is out there though WRT to anything religious / Spiritual stated by many.

Illoa

I came on to say Onward Christian soldiers which we used to sing loudly at school.
Hills of the North
Morning has broken
Make me a channel of your peace
Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam ( from my Sunday School 50+ years ago