Come, let us join our cheerful songs

In order to have a good opening, we must accurately touch the feeling of the meeting. Once we touch the feeling, it is easier to begin the meeting. We can begin by selecting an appropriate hymn, offering a prayer, or speaking a few words. Some people are very good at opening a meeting, and the meeting is lively from the beginning. Other people, on the contrary, seem to have the "capability" of deadening any meeting they begin. This is like selecting Hymns, #183, "Come, let us join our cheerful songs," or Hymns, #127, "Hark! ten thousand voices crying," in a funeral meeting. The meeting will be ruined if it is opened in this way. This is the same as singing Hymns, #974, "He looked for a city and lived in a tent," at the beginning of a wedding meeting; this is basically a wrong opening. A wrong opening deadens the entire meeting. The opening of a meeting is very important and requires much practice.

An opening hymn should be long enough for the spirit of the saints to be fanned into flame. If a hymn is not long enough, the saints will not be sufficiently "pumped up" in their spirit; they will be like those who are out of breath when they run home from the street and go directly to the dining table. In order for the opening hymn to stir up and uplift the spirit of the saints, the tune must be powerful, and it must be easy to sing; moreover, the lyrics should be of adequate length. For instance, Hymns, #213 is a good hymn for beginning the table meeting. If all the brothers and sisters sense that the Lord is full of glory and honor, then they can sing Hymns, #127, and continue with Hymns, #183. To do this, however, we must have some spiritual skill, and the spirit of the meeting must also be able to keep pace. Otherwise, as a rule, after singing Hymns, #127, we will not be able to find another hymn as a continuation because the singing has already reached the peak. For this reason we might need to reserve Hymns, #127 for later and sing Hymns, #183 first. However, if we are experienced in spirit and realize that even though Hymns, #127 is high, it cannot fully express our inner feeling; then perhaps we can continue with Hymns, #141. In such an uplifted spirit we can break the bread to remember the Lord, singing, "Jesus, Thy head, once crown'd with thorns, / Is crown'd with glory now; / Heaven's royal diadem adorns / The mighty Victor's brow" (stanza 1). If we all remember the Lord in this way, the brothers and sisters will receive an unimaginable supply.