My top 5 (includes a tie):

1) Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (God is Love and versy-vicey! Plus, Hyfrydol)

2) O Sacred Head ("Now Wounded?" Don't we sing "Surrounded"? Also like "Sore Wounded"). Lent/Passiontide in song.

3) Tie: "All Hail the Power"/Crown Him w/ Many Crowns": who can choose between the two great Christ the King hymns?

4) When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (it's Prot, but pretty. The tune really makes it)

5) Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken (the tune---"Austria", aka "Deutschland Uber Alles"---w/ a dubious history! But it IS a Great Eschatogical Hope hymn, and fitting as my "final" choice)

JC Fisher

Like all of them except Abide with Me. Not fair to be asked to pick five out of
hymns obviously enough loved that they appear in 28 hymnals. O Lord, with me abide but I cannot and will not decide.

How firm a foundation, but only to the tune "Foundation" from Sacred Harp. Come, ye thankful, Holy, holy, holy!, Jesus shall reign, and Abide with me.

When do we find out the winners?

Amen, Lois, to your comment about "How Firm a Foundation" to the tune FOUNDATION from Southern Harmony and Sacred Harp. That was my number one choice from this list. It was my Granddaddy's favorite hymn, and it's my favorite too.

The winner of Hymn Madness will be announced at the conclusion of the NCAA Basketball tournament.

You will be able to track your favorite hymns' progress starting tomorrow when a link will be posted to the Hymn Madness results.

Dang, I don't have a Hymnal 1982 in front of me, and I can't find out the info I need on the intertoobs.

The issue is "How Firm a Foundation": Hymnal 1982 has two tunes. One I like, the other---"the Prot version"---I loathe. Which is which?

Naturally, I would like to think the best of those posting above me, who like "Foundation" (636) . . . unfortunately, I *believe* (from memory) that's the awful one (it's sounds like dirge! Are we celebrating the Church, or burying it? When I look for "How Firm a Foundation" on YT, that's the one I keep finding. Blech! But these YT vids I think are all by Protestants, who don't know any better. ;-/)

The other tune, "Lyons" I *believe* (from memory) is superior one. It's attributed to JM Haydn, and in my head, it sounds like it! Sprightly, up-tempo: that's the TEC I know and love!

[See, if we can ever put homosexuality issues behind us---via equality, of course---then we can back to fighting over hymnody, as is proper! ;-)]

JC Fisher

Well slim pickin's for me from what's offered:

1. A toss up between Love Divine, All Loves Excelling Why wasn't my all time favourite listed? - Come Down O Love Divine (Down Ampney)
2, Come, Ye Thankful People, Come (St George's Windsor)
3. All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
4. Crown Him with Many Crowns
5. Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah (it's got a rousing tune which I like)

It was fun doing this on a Saturday morning.

- Jay Vos

"Foundation" from "Sacred Harp" is, to me the sprightly one. Of course, one YouTube version, with the lecturer speaking about it, is sung very slowly. Not necessary! "Lyons" is a chorale tune - strict time. I don't find either dirgelike if played with fervor. "Lyons" is easier for congregations to sing.

The fun, good news is we're talking about hymnody, and according to an article on a past issue of "Christian Century" singing builds community. (!?!)

Really, all this depends on what tune is associated with the listed text. For instance, we have the lovely "Rockingham" associated with "When I survey the wondrous Cross" but some churches sing some perfectly awful tunes to this text.
Of course some of our very best hymns aren't even on this list LOL. "Lo! He comes" to "Helmsley" anyone? "Christ is made the sure foundation" to "Westminster Abbey", anyone?
But really, it doesn't matter what I like or don't like. Who cares? Does it sound like church? "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", which I can't believe wasn't on that list, isn't my favorite but I know it's still good stuff so I schedule it.
In the West, we take our church music too personally. That's why people fight about it all the time. What's worse, we're expected to so deeply personalize it, thanks to some expectation to have a personal religious light and sound show like, say, St. Augustine or St. Paul, or Luther or whoever. "That just doesn't speak to me/you/them," or "That is so uplifting" or a thousand other phrases we've all heard, there it is. Everyone wants to go to church to get something in return. How about going to church because you've gotten everything already?

"Everyone wants to go to church to get something in return. How about going to church because you've gotten everything already?" (Clint Davis)
May I beg, borrow or steal these two sentences, Clint? Please? Brilliant!

@Baba

Point taken.

My defense is that I was interested in seeing which hymns out of this list would be favored by our readers. Maybe the hymns they favor won't be the Jesus is the boss of everybody variety.

Plus any reason to do a post on church music -- that always brings more than the usual number of comments.

although I voted none of my real favorites are included, except for Love Divine...what about: Be Thou My Vision, Come my Way my Truth, Fairest Lord Jesus,Let all mortal flesh keep silence, or anything by Ralph V. Williams

please sign your name next time. ~ed

Thank you Lois, yes, you may steal those lines all you like, and anyone else may steal them too.