Foreword

It’s a great pleasure to be able to contribute to my son Bruce’s Hymnbook Treasures. It’s my hope, and his, that it will not only inspire you, but also invite you daily to explore the riches of Christian hymns.

For many people, it’s hard to think of a hymn without music. In fact, the music was often added to a hymn later, and many hymns can be sung to a number of different tunes. That’s why most hymnbooks (and this calendar) include the hymn’s meter – for example 8.8.8.8 – so worship leaders could choose a different tune for any particular occasion. Singing a hymn to a different tune lets you experience the hymn in a new way. (Try singing “Amazing Grace” to the tune for "House of the Rising Sun”!)

The origins of religious singing precede recorded history. Music enriches the hymn, adding life and expressive power. Even the Psalms were written not to be read, but to be sung. Perhaps it was God’s prescient intent for neural networks in human brains that we can remember words more easily when they’re paired with music.

For centuries, stained glass windows were powerful teachers of the Christian story. But music is also a powerful teacher of the Christian story. It’s commonly known that most Christians learn more about the faith from hymn singing than from preaching or Bible study. That’s part of why I’ve loved not only preaching and teaching, but also accompanying church services at a keyboard or directing a choir.

The hymnal is also a book of history. One need not be a musician to appreciate the differences between “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (11th century) and “They’ll Know We Are Christians” (20th century). They’re beautiful in different ways, and both were/are used in contemporary worship.

This project is clearly a work of love, as it’s a departure from Bruce’s career as a strategic marketing and innovation consultant, and reflects his enduring love of this subject. But it fits perfectly into his life as a Christian believer and his time as a high school and college musician.

It’s my hope that in this collection you will find both hymns you have long known and loved, and less familiar hymns that will invite you to expand your knowledge of Christian hymnody. You may find some new favorites, especially if you can hear them sung. So if this calendar inspires you to sing a hymn aloud when it comes up on a particular day, that can be a rich experience. Or if you’re impressed by a hymn you didn’t know and can make an effort to hear it sung, that also may be a gift.

May this collection enrich your life and your faith.

The Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Milligan
Austell, Georgia
2026