Why should kids listen to hymns?
Today's post is written by Holy Hen House sponsor Matthew Scott - bassist of church band Koine' There’s magic in hearing your kids sing. Most likely, they’re slightly off key, out of rhythm and they butcher the lyrics, but it’s still magic. I didn’t always appreciate children singing. In fact, when my wife, a teacher, invited me to hear her class sing in church, I couldn’t understand why she would extend an invitation to which I had no personal connection. I was foolish, and this is why.
I am now a father of 3 wonderful girls, all under the age of 5. While they are developing their own interests and personalities, I realize the most fascinating aspect of watching someone grow is seeing how their passions move them. What they choose to learn, repeat and perfect are the things that resonate with them, the things that they hold dear.
I play bass for a band called Koiné. We specialize in arranging traditional Christian hymns with modern instrumentation. So, instead of singing along to Of the Father's Love Begotten or I Am Jesus' Little Lamb accompanied by a pipe organ, we play guitars, keyboards, and drums. I want my girls to know what I do and how I use my gifts to serve the Lord and His church. The effects of all this became very real to me the other day.
I was caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic, very aware that I was going nowhere. My “to-do” list running rampant in my head, I was sweating what I had left to do before getting home to make dinner and get everyone to bed. From the backseat, I hear my two-year old singing In Christ Alone. Not, just the chorus, but multiple verses. “How do you know that whole song?” I am astonished. Thank you little lady for turning my brain back to what really matters.
My kids sing hymns. My kids know hymns. Not just modern hymns like In Christ Alone, but obscure hymns like Amid The World's Bleak Wilderness, or older hymns like Salvation unto Us Has Come. Why is this important? It’s opened opportunities for lessons I don’t know I would have had otherwise.
“Do you know what salvation means?” “Do you know what grace is?”
I’m not saying that listening to hymns alone replaces daily prayer or family devotionals, but it’s definitely been a supplement in my family’s walk with God. I’m thankful these resources have been created. Having CDs for listening at home or on the road has been extremely helpful bridging the gap between people they know from the Bible with more complex concepts of faith: grace, salvation, God’s covenant with us. Their knowledge and repetition of the lyrics gave me an easy opportunity to offer some explanations. Do they understand it all? Not always, but maybe just as they pick up the lyrics and melody through repetition, something will click with them the next time we have a conversation.
Proverbs 22:6 - Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
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Koiné has recorded 7 albums to date. Koiné (Self-Titled), Gesangbuch, Church Bells, The Vine, Visit, Emmanuel Lux and Anno Domini are available for download on iTunes, with CDs available in their online store.
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You can also watch concerts and videos on the band’s YouTube Channel. Find all this and where Koiné will tour next at koinemusic.com.