Featured SongWorshipping With Widows
Home » Blog » GeneralPosted by Eric Schumacher on July 26th, 2006
Hey guys! Long time, no post.
James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
I've been thinking about how this verse applies to worship. I've had the opportunity to visit some widows in the nursing home and hospital, some older believers in their homes, and our church has a monthly birthday party at a nursing home at which God's word is shared and old gospel songs are sung. One of the things I've noticed is the joy that these older believers have when their favorite old gospel songs are sung (in addition to reading God's word to them and praying with them). Often these are songs that I am not familiar with or of a style and era that seems rather 'corny' today. Nevertheless, the gospel is sung and their souls are ministered to.
It occurred to me that this is one good reason to at least familiarize ourselves with the songs of previous generations (as foreign and corny as they may sound). We may not use them in our corporate worship services. We may not sing them at home. But a familiarity with them allows us to minister to "widows in their affliction."
In the nursing home, I do not see the people able to learn or sing some of our modern songs, as good as they may be. I don't feel that it would be right to expect them to do so. The gospel songs of 80 years ago are written on their hearts. We sometimes speak of helping a people group to express their worship in 'heart-language.' These songs are their heart language. If I want to minister to them, then I need to know these songs. It would be selfish of me to write-off these songs and ignore them (the songs and the people who love them). So, for the sake of the souls of afflicted widows, I should familiarize myself with their 'heart-language' songs. Thankfully, there is a group of people in our church who make it their ministry to, at least monthly, minister to these people through their music.
How do your churches minister to 'widows in their affliction' and help them to worship?
Eric,
Thank God for your ministry with the nursing home residents. It has been my privilege and honor to visit one here in Anchorage every Monday night. We started out 20 years ago with once a month, then after about 5 years of that up to twice a month. Then, about 10 years ago we decided to go every Monday night.
Usually there are 4 of us. We have guitar, an autoharp, a standup bass, and an electric guitar. We meet in the chapel where the residents are wheeled down, and we sing and "hobnob" for an hour with our friends. And I say friends because after 20 years that's what they have become. It's no longer just going there and singing for the people, it's visiting friends and spending a blessed hour with them.
We sing mostly hymns, although we have been doing new songs for about 6 years now. Shout to the Lord, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, God is Good All the Time, The Name of the Lord. They do learn the new songs. And it's like you said, they have the old hymns written on their hearts. I look out while singing and most of them are singing the hymns without looking at the book.
One thing I've found after all these years. The songs never get "old". We sing Amazing Grace every week and it just never gets stale. Not for us and certainly not for the residents. It's just a blessed hour of worship every Monday night. And it's also turned into my favorite night of the week.
God bless you and your workers in your ministry at your nursing home.
Marvin Hadenfeldt