Expansive and Inclusive: Evolving Language for God and God's People in Then Let Us Sing!
For centuries, the church has sung with a vocabulary that centred masculinity—both in how we spoke of ourselves (brothers, mankind, sons) and how we named and imagined God (Father, Lord, King). That history is well-documented, and we are increasingly aware of the ways that inherited language can restrict the breadth of human experience and our perception of the Divine. Building on the work of Voices United and More Voices, the committees guiding the development of Then Let Us Sing! have taken this legacy seriously, grounding their work in a continued and ever-evolving commitment to “singing justly”—approaching congregational song with attention to ethics, inclusion, and the power of shared language. Their public statements and web essays, which can be found on their website, articulate this foundation clearly; what follows are just a few of the many examples I have encountered of how these principles are woven directly into the collection itself.
One key movement is a shift toward expansive language for the community gathered in worship. In TLUS 23, “For everyone born” (Shirley Erena Murray), the text celebrates human dignity in all its diversity—age, gender, race, orientation—inviting a vision of community in which every person is welcomed and honoured. TLUS 32, “As we are” (Hannah Brown), continues this theme by affirming the worth of each singer, as they are, without the expectation of conformity, while dreaming of a more open-hearted church. Similarly, in TLUS 138, “Let’s go together” (Laura Zelman), the text offers an image of the people of God moving collectively—shoulder to shoulder, difference not erased but embraced. These are all beautiful examples of how congregational song can evolve to help people see themselves in the words being sung.
Parallel to this is the collection’s broadening of imagery for God. TLUS 56, “We long to know her” (Jacque B. Jones), offers a feminine pronoun for the Divine, reminding us that scripture and tradition contain a far greater palette of metaphors than most hymnals have embraced. Here we sing of God as maker, knitter, planter, guardian, sculptor, architect, and potter—and these are all contained in the first verse! TLUS 66, “Abba, Sky-Father, Earth-Mother” (William Richards), a contemporary setting of the Lord’s Prayer, holds masculine and feminine imagery together, grounding our sung prayer in the cosmos and in the earth beneath our feet. In TLUS 117, “Could it be that God is singing” (Becca J.R. Lachman), the Divine is imagined as a singer whose creative breath animates all life—a metaphor that sidesteps gender entirely in favour of artistry, creativity, and relationship.
These examples represent only a fraction of the collection’s breadth—I encourage you to dive in and discover even more; you won’t have to look far. Taken together, they mark a hopeful and intentional trajectory. Then Let Us Sing! invites us to encounter God—and one another—with greater generosity, imagination, and justice. As you explore this new resource, enter with curiosity and openness. Its collective work embodies our denomination’s ongoing commitment to being an affirming and inclusive church and I, for one, am deeply grateful for all it has to offer!
Jason Locke, Minister of Music, Islington U.C., Toronto, Ont.
