Poetic Writing

“Jesus Himself quoted the book of Psalms more than any other Old Testament text. The authors of the four Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] drew heavily on the psalms as they strove to document His life and ministry, particularly those excruciating hours of His arrest, trial, and Crucifixion” (For Times of Trouble [2012], 7– 8).

 The original hymnal collected by Emma Smith had no tunes--only words.  Many hymns were based on a Psalm  In the old hymnal, the first verse of "How Firm a Foundation" ended with the phrase: You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled…Because this phrase sounds awkward to modern-day Saints ("Yoo-hoo unto Jesus!"), the hymn book committee rephrased it to be: Who unto the Savior.  Evan Stephens composed 16 of the hymns--the most of any composer in the hymnal.  It used to be the music director's responsibility to decide which tunes the congregation would sing with which words.  Look up “Meters” in the back of the hymnal; you can sing any two songs with the same meter, interchanging the tune and lyrics

Look for phrases that relate to the Crucifixion of the Savior:  Psalm 22:1 Psalm 22:1  Psalm 22:7–8 Psalm 22:7–8  Psalm 22:16, 18 Psalm 22:16, 18  Psalm 31:5 Psalm 31:5  Psalm 34:20 Psalm 34:20  Psalm 69:21 Psalm 69:21  What was it like for Jesus to know these prophecies of His suffering and death were given long before He was born?

"Some music is spiritually very destructive. You young people know what kind that is. The tempo, the sounds, and the lifestyle of those who perform it repel the Spirit. It is far more dangerous than you may suppose, for it can smother your spiritual senses" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 78; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 61).  Which hymn do you choose to pump you up?  Make you happy?  For sacrament meeting?  Which is your favorite hymn about the Savior?

Choose from among the sacred music of the Church a favorite hymn, one with words that are uplifting and music that is reverent, one that makes you feel something akin to inspiration. Go over it in your mind carefully. Memorize it. Even though you have had no musical training, you can think through a hymn. Now, use this hymn as the place for your thoughts to go. Make it your emergency channel. Whenever you find [inappropriate thoughts slipping] onto the stage of your mind, put on this record, as it were. As the music begins and as the words form in your thoughts, the unworthy ones will slip shamefully away. It will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is uplifting and clean, the baser thoughts will disappear. Boyd K. Packer, Oct Gen. Conf.

 Songs affect your…  BODY (movements and endorphins)  MEMORY (lyrics)  EMOTIONS  How has your life been influenced by music? Has a song ever changed your day?  How has your life been influenced by media? Has a video ever changed your day?  What’s the rule with what we should watch and listen to? (see Moroni 7:14–16).

Poetic Writing