Service Book and Hymnal (SBH): 41 Years later
given at the start of the hymns in SBH to help congregations sing them effectively. Space limitations required that some hymns be doubled for repeat marks to fit on one page. The only negative thing about the hymns in the SBH was the fact that the titles were not placed on the headers of the pages, and the numbers for more than three hymns remained the same. When searching for a hymn that had more than one tune, one would have to thumb through to find the right one. However, the 600+ hymns in the SBH were a joy to sing for congregations.
The SBH was laid out in the same style print that was adopted for the 1917 Common Service Book and Hymnal (CSBH). Many other Lutheran denominations featured service music in the back of the hymnal and had different organization of church year compared to the organized version in the CSBH. The LBW follows the same format, with the addition of canticles after the psalm sections, and prayers in the forward part of the LBW. The cover in red was chosen because of Pentecost and Holy Spirit in the Trinity. The gold ball and cross logo was designed to represent that the cross and what was in the hymnal was global, not just to one denomination.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the SBH was a very successful hymnal, more so than it's successor, the LBW has been. Careful consideration was taken into account for transition, and retaining the heritage that was existing, adding to it, and blending it into a mixture of different Lutheran cultures to create the first North American Lutheran hymnal involving many different ethnic heritages. The reason the SBH was successful is that it had music that was singable, memorable, and the words expressed made a lasting impact on those who used the hymnal.
Today, in the pocket congregations that still use the SBH, the feeling of something that is theirs to cherish and to hold on to remains. It reflected who people were in congregations, where they come from, and their unique heritages. Many congregations who still use the SBH tried out the LBW, and refused to give up something that reflected the fabric of their church. In the 1990's some ELCA churches have even returned the SBH back to the pewracks to be used alternately with the green LBW and WOV. These churches have found that the books are
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