When I was at university, it wasn’t unknown for me to indulge in a kebab (or two). But coming home was always a culinary joy: food served from a heart of love and with more nutritional value than a melted Twix.
We are more privileged than any previous generation when it comes to the access we have to resources for the church. Perhaps nowhere else do we feel this more than in our songs. But in the CCLI UK Top 100 (December 2022) the average date of publication for the 34 UK-written songs was 2003. Have we got into the habit of importing so many of our songs from mega-churches, that we’ve forgotten the riches of homegrown songs served with a heart of love and full of gospel truth?
Paul commands us to sing and let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16) – it’s through that same word that the Psalmist tells us God has given us life (Ps. 119:93). All our songs – wherever they’re from – should be full of gospel truth, which nourishes God’s people richly.
Songs from the UK
The UK has produced some of the finest hymns ever written: ‘When I Survey’, ‘Be Thou My Vision’, ‘Love Divine’, ‘Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer’, etc. They’ve nourished God’s people for hundreds of years. More recently, we have also produced some of the finest contemporary song-writers: Townend, Getty, Redman, Kendrick. As we sing each week, let’s thank God for access to a global pool of songs – and let’s make use of the songs written from hearts of love within our own churches and culture.
If you want to sing some homegrown songs here are some places to start: Resound Worship, Olly Knight, Ben Slee, 20Schemes Music, Joyful Noise, Colin Webster & Phil Moore, Songs from the Soil, Matt Searles.
Tom Brewster studied music at university and loves (almost) all kinds of music. He works for Emu Music in the UK and sets lyrics to music for Joyful Noise www.joyfulnoise.uk/.
