{"id":44418,"date":"2023-03-05T12:13:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-05T20:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=44418"},"modified":"2023-06-05T09:18:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T16:18:23","slug":"sacrament-meeting-hymns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2023\/03\/sacrament-meeting-hymns\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacrament Meeting Hymns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choosing music for sacrament meetings is an interesting responsibility sometimes. <\/span>One of a few different challenges is that there are only 27 hymns specifically selected as sacrament meeting hymns, so there is a lot of potential for repetition. <\/span><\/p>\n

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As <\/span>Kaimi Wenger<\/span><\/a> explained the dilemma:<\/span><\/p>\n

Two of the \u2026 Sacrament hymns are duplicate texts with different music. And others (such as 178, O Lord of Hosts, or 189, O Thou Before the World Began) are rarely sung. That leaves an awful lot of weeks each year for I Stand All Amazed, There is a Green Hill, and Jesus, Once of Humble Birth.\u00a0 With so much repetition, there is a risk that Sacrament becomes auto-pilot.\u00a0 Part of the music director\u2019s job is arranging hymns to help the congregation reflect on the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there other options for Sacrament hymns?<\/span><\/p>\n

The hymn book states that, \u201cthe Sacrament hymn should refer to the sacrament itself or to the sacrifice of the Savior.\u201d In addition, Sacrament hymns are traditionally solemn and reverent. Are there other hymns that fit the bill?<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While there\u2019s some benefit to frequent repetition and the official sacrament hymns should always take precedence, it\u2019s still a good question. The statement that: \u201cThe sacrament hymn should refer to the sacrament itself or to the sacrifice of the Savior.\u201d is repeated in both <\/span>the hymnbook<\/span><\/a> itself and in the <\/span>General Handbook<\/span><\/a>, so that seems like the best starting point from which to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, I went through the entire English-language hymnbook and kept an eye out for hymns that specifically referenced the sacrament of the Lord\u2019s Supper or the sacrifice of the Savior. Along the way, I also noted that there were a few hymns that I might call Sacrament-adjacent, which don\u2019t meet the specific requirements outlined but are close enough in theme that they could probably work as passable sacrament hymns. I\u2019ll share a table of each group, then go into more details below.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Table 1<\/b>. Hymns that seem to meet the guidelines offered in the hymnbook and the General Handbook for Sacrament hymns.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
65<\/span><\/td>\nCome, All Ye Saints Who Dwell on Earth<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
67<\/span><\/td>\nGlory to God on High<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86<\/span><\/td>\nHow Great Thou Art<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
111<\/span><\/td>\nRock of Ages<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
113<\/span><\/td>\nOur Savior’s Love<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
134<\/span><\/td>\nI Believe in Christ<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
135<\/span><\/td>\nMy Redeemer Lives<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
136<\/span><\/td>\nI Know that My Redeemer Lives<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
146<\/span><\/td>\nGently Raise the Sacred Strain<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
155<\/span><\/td>\nWe Have Partaken of Thy Love<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
169-196<\/span><\/td>\nSacrament meeting hymns<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
197<\/span><\/td>\nO Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
209<\/span><\/td>\nHark! The Herald Angels Sing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Table 2<\/b>. Hymns that do not explicitly follow the guidelines for selecting Sacrament hymns, but which could potentially still pass as acceptable options.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
6<\/span><\/td>\nRedeemer of Israel<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
57<\/span><\/td>\nWe’re Not Ashamed to Own Our Lord<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
90<\/span><\/td>\nFrom All That Dwell Below the Skies<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
101<\/span><\/td>\nGuide Me to Thee<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
112<\/span><\/td>\nSavior, Redeemer of My Soul<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
115<\/span><\/td>\nCome, Ye Disconsolate<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
118<\/span><\/td>\nYe Simple Souls Who Stray<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
129<\/span><\/td>\nWhere Can I Turn for Peace?<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
131<\/span><\/td>\nMore Holiness Give Me<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
141<\/span><\/td>\nJesus, the Very Thought of Thee<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
205<\/span><\/td>\nOnce in Royal David’s City<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
220<\/span><\/td>\nLord, I Would Follow Thee<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
221<\/span><\/td>\nDear to the Heart of the Shepherd<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
234<\/span><\/td>\nJesus, Mighty King in Zion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
236<\/span><\/td>\nLord, Accept into Thy Kingdom<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
242<\/span><\/td>\nPraise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
258<\/span><\/td>\nO Thou Rock of Our Salvation<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

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For the first group (hymns that seem to explicitly match the criteria that they \u201crefer to the sacrament itself or to the sacrifice of the Savior\u201d), here are the more detailed explanations:<\/span><\/p>\n