The other day we got the new hymnal that has just been published by the Missouri Synod. I haven't really had an opportunity to look at it, but I did flip through the other day. I would really like to find a church that uses the new hymnal to see how it works "in action," if you will.
With the new hymnal, though, there is a bit of semantic problem and the only people that would understand this are fellow LCMS'ers. What do we call the new hymnal in shorthand? For the last twentysome years, yes I said the last twentysome years, the "newhymnal" was the "blue hymnal, the "oldhymnal" was the "red hymnal." This new New Hymnal is a funky burgandy color. So what do we call it? The New-new Hymnal, or the bestandbrightest Hymnal? What of the original "newhymnal?" Is it now the "Old-new hymnal?" We can stick with the "blue hymnal," though its not always blue. The "oldhymnal" the "redhymnal" or as I like to call it "the 5-15 hymnal" (again, that is a reference any self-respecting LCMS'er will get, is it to be called the "oldhymnal," "the original old hymnal" (which in fact that would be wrong because there were other hymnals before that one. I suppose we could call it "1941," the new hymnal could be the "1982" and the "newnew hymnal" could be the "aught-six."
Of course we could still just refer to the red hymnal as the "TLH" (aka The Lutheran Hymnal) the blue hymnal as LW (Lutheran Worship) and the burgandy, aught-six hymnal as the LSB (Lutheran Service Book)...
Sheesh... maybe we need a committee to find out the necessity for a committee to decided if we need a committee to figure out what to call it... we could just send the question to the CTCR and let them decide.
Yeah, that it.
3 comments:
I'll use the abbreviations (TLH/LW/LSB) until someone shows confusion. :)
The Lutheran Hymnal was published in both blue and read, also in leather it was published in black and white. The majority of congregations using TLH purchased it in either "blue" or "red." That hymnal was most often referred to simply as "TLH"
Lutheran Worship was/is a funky blue color. It was referred to as "LW"
The new hymnal is a beautiful, rich burgundy color, nothing "funky" about it. It is titled "Lutheran Service Book" and will be known as LSB for short.
In other words, I think you are making quite a mountain out of not even a mole hill, but rather an "ant hill."
Merry Christmas!
I was trying to be humorous.
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