‘Deft’ is the word I would choose for the choice of hymns on Monday’s service. ‘Telling’ must be the word for the impact on the congregation present or absent.
The 23rd psalm suits all occasions and all persons.
And then we had Vaughan’s ‘My soul, there is a country.’
That led to Charles Wesley (how could he possibly be left out?) and his ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’.
Almost a hymn are the Last Post and Reveille. They disturb the emotions and appeal to common humanity in the same way.
Then in the committal came ‘All my hope on God is founded’ and of course Donne’s ‘ no ends nor beginnings but one equal eternity’. We find our minds and our faith being stretched.
Neale’s ‘Christ is made the sure foundation’ reminds us that this is what all the ceremonial and circumstance are truly about and where the essence of Christianity is truly located. As long as such bounty comes from Christian belief, we cannot say good-bye to our poetic and musical heritage.