The Organ

The Organ

The Organ.

For almost 40 years, first church worship was conducted with an unaccompanied singing of the biblical Psalms. This was the hallmark, Presbyterianism, the world over. The remnants of which can still be heard on the singing of The Old Hundredth, which states back to Calvinist Geneva, Salta, and the well-known 23rd Psalm, the Lord’s my Shepard.

In 1885, against strong opposition, hymns were introduced alongside the Psalms and the couple of years later, instrumental music was introduced. So strong was the opposition that some of the members’ left First Church, to start Chalmers Church, out of the port.

In 1905, the organ was upgraded and the pipes, which are still present to this day, were installed. In front of these, platforms for the choir were erected. In order to make way for these renovations, the inward -facing pews were removed, so that the sanctuary somewhat lost its focus on the two sacraments of word and table.

Given the strong association of organ music with traditional worship, it is helpful to remember that 150 years ago, such music was considered innovative and even problematic. The introduction was seen by some to be an unhelpful accommodation of the wider culture and a dilution of the church’s own heritage of unaccompanied singing.

To accommodate the organ, pews had to be removed and the seating reconfigured. In the 1970s, the organ had to be replaced with a digital one, with the pipes retained for their aesthetic appeal. Nowadays, on a given Sunday here at First Church, you might hear the organ, the grand piano, a guitar or unaccompanied singing.

On Christmas Eve you will hear a band playing modernised carols at the children’s service. This reminds us that first church, despite being the oldest place of Christian worship in the region, is not stuck in a time warp. It bears witness to the way faith grows, how some things are added while others are lost. These changes are not always for the better, but nor are they always for the worse. They remind us that this building houses a living community who commune with a living God.

It is after all this building’s primary purpose. We are reminded that it stands not simply as a monument to the past, but as a sanctuary for the city here and now, and God willing, for generations to come.

What changes might we see in this place in the years to come, I wonder?