When my wife and I moved to the city from rural Iowa 14 years ago one of the biggest changes we experienced was church music. In rural Iowa we were members of a church with a traditional worship service; in the city we found mostly contemporary worship services.

I am not denominationally loyal so we visited a variety of churches finally choosing one with a mixed service some contemporary music and some traditional. Over time I became accustomed to the newer music but never became a fan.

Circumstances led us to look for another church about four years ago. We found a wonderful congregation with traditional worship pipe organ, Bach preludes, large choir, choral anthems, hymnals and contemporary music only when the youth group leads worship one Sunday each year.

Nowadays, I confess, I miss some of the better praise choruses.

At middle age (plus) I appreciate the old hymns of my youth, but I realize that younger people appreciate more contemporary music. It boils down to personal preference. I believe God appreciates either style of worship, so long as it is offered sincerely from the heart.

While I do not make a practice of incorporating significant passages of another writer’s work in this column the following from an unknown author beautifully (and humorously) illustrates the traditional vs. contemporary worship music debate. (If you know the name of the author, please let me know so I can give attribution.)

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended a big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the farmer. “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this: if I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, in the CORN, CORN, CORN, COOOOORRRRRNNNNN,’ then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”

As luck would have it, the same Sunday a young, new Christian from a city church attended a small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

“They’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

The young man said, “Well it’s like this: if I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by-and-by to the righteous, glorious truth. For the way of the animals who can explain there in their heads is no shadow of sense. Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain, unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded by minions of darkness and night they all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn chewed. So look to that bright shining day by-and-by, where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn. Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry and I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.’

“Then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four, and change keys on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”