After the Gospel Reading, the congregation sings a hymn to focus their attention on the themes for the day: the Hymn of the Day.
The Hymn of the Day is pre-selected. Usually it is the same hymn for all three years of the lectionary cycle. This makes sense for about half of the year when the readings follow a feast day pattern. Lent 1 always utilizes the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and the Hymn of the Day is always "A Mighty Fortress." Easter 4 is "Good Shepherd Sunday" so the classic Psalm 23 paraphrase: "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" gets the call all three years of the lectionary cycle.
For the other half of the year though, the Hymn of the Day has a danger of not connecting well. There is nothing really connecting series A, B, and C in the season of Pentecost (or "Ordinary Time" in some traditions).
The Hymn of the Day is meant to be thematic. It is the good news and story of the day set to music. It's like that one song in a musical or Disney movie that utilizes the name of the show the most. (My mind goes to "Tale as old as time..." from Beauty and the Beast.)
The Hymn of the Day should not be confused with the "Office Hymn" which is used in other liturgies such as Matins, Vespers, Compline, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer. The term "office" here refers to the time of the day. Monasteries often had seven specified times of prayer. That's where Matins, Vespers, and Compline come from. They are three of the seven offices. So the Office Hymn for Matins should be a morning hymn. The Office Hymn for Compline should be a hymn to fall to sleep to.
There is also a...trend we'll call it...of not using the Hymn of the Day specifically, but simply selecting something for this slot called the "Sermon Hymn." If the Hymn of the Day doesn't fit the direction of the sermon, this can be a useful change.
A different trend that I think is worth exploring is moving the Hymn of the Day or Sermon Hymn to after the sermon.
This seems to find roots in the African American tradition of preaching. The goal of many sermons in traditionally African American churches is for the hearers to praise God. (For more see Richard Eslinger's book, The Web of Preaching.) This is a most biblical idea. After God does something saving and amazing, the response in the Scriptures is often singing. In Exodus 15, after the Israelites escape Egypt and cross the Red Sea, they break into song. After Deborah and Barak defeat the king of Hazor in Judges 4, they break into song in Judges 5. After Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper, He and the disciples sing a hymn as they go to Gethsemane.
We'll get to the sermon next time, but the goal of the sermon could very well affect the order of the worship service. One approach to sermon goals is to have a balance of "faith goals" and "life goals."
Life goals involve specific actions steps. A preacher may write a life goal out like this:
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That the hearers would invite a neighbor to church.
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That the hearers would be more generous with their tithes and offerings.
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That the hearers would read the Scriptures more often.
These are all attached to tangible, often measurable actions.
Faith goals often involve things that are more cognitive and affective. They involve the heart and mind more than the hands and feet. Things like being persuaded to trust, hope, and love more deeply. A faith goal might be written like this:
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That the hearers would find security in their baptismal identity.
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That the hearers would see the return of Jesus and resurrection of the dead as their ultimate hope.
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That the hearers would keep their eyes fixed on Jesus as they persevere through the struggles of life.
Faith and life goals don't always have solid delineations, and sometimes sermons have more than one goal. In general, Lutherans are often heavy on the faith goals which makes our movement from sermon to Creed, where we confess our faith, a logical one. Other traditions are heavy on life goals, so the movement from sermon to singing and praise is a logical progression.
The best reason to use the pre-selected Hymn of the Day is pretty simple: many other churches in your tradition are using it (along with the readings, Collect, Introit, etc.) and often the Hymn of the Day is a classic piece to your tradition that your congregation should know. The best reason to not use it is if it doesn't fit into the direction and themes of the service.
