New from CPH: 'My First Hymnal' for kids

Concordia Publishing House has produced a hymnal that’s designed especially for children up to age 10. My First Hymnal features 52 hymns, including “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” “Amazing Grace,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Away in a Manger,” “Silent Night, Holy Night,” “I Know that My Redeemer Lives ,” “Jesus Loves Me!,” “Lift High the Cross,” “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

“The dilemma we’ve faced is how to bring children into the worship life of the LCMS,” said the hymnal’s editor, the Rev. David Johnson. “With this book, we’ve taken the hymns loved by all generations and combined them with tremendous artwork that tells the story of the church and Jesus’ love. This is a resource that children can claim as their own, and begin learning about the beauty of the words and music in a hymnal.”

Johnson and staff from CPH’s music department surveyed parents and educators to choose the hymns that appear in My First Hymnal.

“These are songs that are easy to remember, with language that shows God’s love for children and speaks to His relationship with them through Jesus’ grace and forgiveness,” Johnson said.

In addition to music and prayers, My First Hymnal features illustrations highlighting the colors, seasons and symbols of the church year.

Johnson encourages families to use the new book as a devotional resource at home, as a way to prepare children for Sunday worship and equip them to use the full hymnal and benefit from it.

“Parents can help children memorize psalms, prayers and portions of the Lutheran liturgy,” he said. “Each bit of text or hymn stanza in the book connects with the artwork on the page, so that even small children can understand and have the words of the Church in their mouths at a very early age.”

To order My First Hymnal ($19.99, item no. 992268WEB), call CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org. Price quoted does not include shipping charge.

Posted Jan. 6, 2012