Singers and musicians packed Fallowfield United Methodist Church for a hymn sing on May 5. Hymn lovers from Atlantic, Adamsville, Conneaut Lake, Greenville, and surrounding areas came to praise God in song. Lee McMunigal emceed the event.
There were several special performances. Two of the four members of Sound Witness, Jeff and Joann Hall, sang “Brand New Picture” and “Till I Get Home.” [Photo page 22]
Jeff played the mandolin while Joann played guitar. Pastor Larry Corner of Fallowfield played the piano and sang “In Christ Alone.” Debbie Muir did an interpretive dance to “He Never Sleeps,” by Don Moen. Gerry Osborn sang and played “Leave it There” on her guitar. The Sperry family, including Frances, Keith, Joanne, Lisa, and Mike, sang “Count Your Blessings.” Arden McConnell sang “I’ve Got A Mansion.” And Tom Moore (that’s my dad) sang “I Love to Tell the Story.”
People called out their favorite hymns, including “In the Garden,” “He Lives,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Hymn of Promise,” “Freely, Freely,” and “Pass It On.”
As I listened to the enthusiastic singing all around me and felt the joy they experienced in singing their favorite hymns, I was reminded that many of these people sang these songs as children or young adults. They probably had strong, positive memories attached to the songs they requested. And it made me wonder what time period they pictured in their minds as they sang. What memories did these songs evoke?
And the biggest question of all: Did these songs remind them of the Good Old Days?
Oh, the Good Old Days. I used to obsess over how bad the world has become, and how much safer it was when my parents were children. I had to work through this irrational belief through years of therapy. My therapist, Jenn Porter, deserves most of the credit for my understanding of the dangers of this mindset. She helped me understand that healing and freedom comes from remembering that God created me to live at this specific time to do work he created me to do.
But you know what I mean by the Good Old Days, right? In the Good Old Days, kids could safely play with friends until the street lights came on. Children recited The Lord’s Prayer in school. Almost every family in America attended church and Sunday school. Men were the backbone of the church. Kids grew up in church, married there, raised their kids there, and remained active in church their whole lives. Teenage pregnancy was almost unheard-of, and cigarettes were the strongest drug anyone used. And even then, they didn’t know tobacco was harmful.
Okay. I’ll admit it: I wish our society still operated this way. But what about the bad parts of the Good Old Days?
What did it feel like to be the mother of a teenage boy during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War? How many hours did mothers spend praying their sons wouldn’t be drafted, wounded, or mentally destroyed by what they had to do and what they saw?
Or how did it feel to be African American during that era? How did it feel to be forced to use different bathrooms and water fountains?
How scary was it when your child came home from school with measles, mumps, or whooping cough? And how about the misery of chicken pox?
We have vaccines now. Parents don’t have to worry about their children coming home with any of these diseases.
There is no military draft in the United States anymore.
All races and ethnicities use the same bathrooms and drink from the same water fountains. (If you can find one. These are becoming as rare as pay phones.)
See what I mean? The Good Old Days were only good for certain people.
Don’t get me wrong. If “How Great Thou Art” paints a picture of your father singing it with all his heart, that’s a precious memory from the Good Old Days.
If you recall your mother singing “In the Garden” as she planted impatiens in front of her house, cherish this beautiful memory, too.
If “Pass It On” reminds you of the Christian camp where you received Christ, treasure this song and memory.
And if you can remember countless Easter worship services where the congregation rejoiced in song by affirming “He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!” then I’m all for it.
But if you get locked in a mindset that says things were always better in the past, that today is a dangerous and dark place to live, remember this: God created all of us “For such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14 NIV) and God says, “’Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’” in Isaiah 43:18-19a (NIV). He doesn’t want us to dwell on the past. Today is fresh. Enjoy it and don’t look back.
And while you’re enjoying today, sing “Count Your Blessings” and name them one by one.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!