Last night I attended a most unique and enjoyable event that takes place at Trinity Pub on the 1st Monday nights of the month across from the U.Va campus. "Beer and Hymns" has been happening for 3 years and enjoys a pretty good attendance. Last night about 30 people gathered to sing Christmas hymns from the St. Mark Lutheran Church hymn books. There is no better feeling that being in a room full of people who love to sing. Even better--who sing well! The harmonies that wove through the room were heavenly! I absolutely loved it.
Here's another thing. You don't have to be a church goer to love to sing hymns. A friend of mine who sings in a sacred music ensemble said about the event, "I love to sing hymns, even as an atheist." Hymns were written with group singing in mind to uplift those who sing and lift them up out of the mundane. Singing hymns with a group makes you feel bathed in beautiful sounds that wash away daily concerns. It makes you feel, "Everything is right. Everything is going to be ok."
We live in such time of suffering and conflict and darkness. Now with the holidays approaching, I am aware that many people become more depressed as the pressure to be happy and with family (where some do not have) looms ahead. One way to think about it is that all religious parables are about finding light within the darkest days. If you should find yourself feeling down at this time, then you are aligning yourself with all seekers who looked for the light out of the darkness.
If you live in town, consider coming! Here is an NPR story about the local Beer & Hymns gatherings. Enjoy and happy singing!
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