但以英語崇拜的聖約翰座堂卻選用1997年版的《Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard》：
小弟很無聊地把序言拍照留念，並記在下面：
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Christians have in their hearts a song, and hymns have been vehicles of the instinct for praise and worship by the congregation. They belong by nature to the people of God, and more to the laity in the nave than to the clerks in the choir. At times ecclesiastical authority has been anxious about the words and the popular doctrines they may convey. Musical authority has been anxious that among the melodies enjoyed by congregations some have not been the noblest to offer to either God or man. Yet not every great Christian poem makes a good hymn, and not every chorale by J. S. Bach can be safely enjoyed by a lay congregation. A good hymn-book is necessarily an endeavour in high democracy. The lifetime of a hymn is one which congregations decide by an unconscious process. But a fine melody must have shape, and a good hymn's rhythm need not invariably be four square to be taken to heart.
Hymns Ancient and Modern was first published, in a full music edition, in 1861, and rapidly achieved a success which astonished its first editors. The book has received various supplements and new editions since that time. To the first revision of 1875 a supplement was added in 1889. A new edition of 1904 did not oust the earlier revision, which in 1916 was enlarged with a second supplement. The standard edition of 1922 did better but has been replaced since 1950 by the far-reaching revision in the now generally used Hymns Ancient and Modern Revised. This 1950 edition introduced twentieth century matter in both words and music, and cut out many hymns which had not been used much or were losing favour. In both words and music the 1950 revision remains a strong hymnbook. Nevertheless after three more decades there is again need for reappraisal.
Two supplements to the 1950 book have appeared: 100 Hymns for Today (1969) and More Hymns for Today (1980). Both books have been widely used in English-speaking churches. They make available a selection of the modern hymns written during the past thirty years, during which there has been a lively flourishing of the art of hymn-writing. These supplements have also tried to fill gaps in Ancient and Modern Revised.
The classical hymns that constitute the core of Hymns Ancient and Modern and its Supplements are presented in this volume. When the first edition of 1861 appeared, a few critics disliked the modern part of that book; but some of the best hymns which were modern in 1861 have achieved a permanent position, and they are here now. But the 1950 volume retained many hymns that have been shown, by a careful survey, to be used today little or not at all. These are omitted. Some tunes which are seldom used have been replaced, and some alternatives have been added. A few revisions in the words and music are made, but so far as possible the present book is designed to be usable side by side with the 1950 revision. Hence each hymn has not only its number in the natural sequence of this book, but also a bracketed number which is that in Hymns Ancient and Modern Revised and its Supplements. The music of several hymns has been printed in a lower key to facilitate congregational use.
English liturgies of the 1980s provide prayers using both the 'Thou' and the 'You' form in address to God or Christ. It has seemed unnecessary to rewrite classical hymns to conform to the 'You' form. Experience suggests that congregations make the adjustment to 'Thou' without difficulty. The feminist movement has also affected attitudes to some hymns. Feminine authors of the Victorian age liked to use 'brothers' where we today would normally say 'brothers and sisters'. The poverty of English vocabulary makes for difficulty. Unlike many other languages, English has only the one word 'man' to carry three distinct meanings: (a) the human race as a whole, (b) an individual human being, (c) an adult male as opposed to a woman or a boy. Some voices of feminine emancipation have come to object to the first two meanings, not to the third. But we have not thought it right to alter the words of hymns to meet this objection.
The Council of Hymns Ancient and Modern place on record their gratitude to expert advisers who have assisted in making the selection.
We believe that in this new form a book which has long been highly valued in the life and worship of Christians will continue to strengthen the life of the Church.
----這篇引言其中有一點很有趣：一百幾十年前的會眾不喜歡當時太新潮的詩歌
但其中某部分詩歌卻能夠熬過時間的考驗，可以一直流傳至今
以此引伸，今代會眾不喜歡的新歌也可以成為後世的經典
這使我好奇：到底眾多現代詩歌中有哪些能夠脫穎而出？
我最先想起的是根據《希伯來書》第11章寫成的《因著信》
以及根據《哈巴谷書》第3章末寫成的《幽谷中的盼望》，這兩首其實都不錯
若要說是脫穎而出，那被網民改成粗口歌的傳統聖詩《主能夠》必定榜上有名
其實那首詩歌本是兒童詩歌，只有近五十年歷史，也算是「當代的新歌」
另外近年已有不少前輩重新翻譯粵語版本——流傳經典所需要花的功夫還不少
當我正思索這事時，又聽到遠方的擴音器開始播放一首叫《一切為福音》的詩歌
在網上翻查資料，原來是屬於《天國人》專輯的詩歌
聽起來總覺得奇怪，不知道這類歌又能否成為經典？
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