“Fill the Air with Shouts of Joy”
This month we continue our Hymn of the Month series in which one or more hymns drawn from collections published by The Leupold Foundation will be posted on the website for consideration by pastors and musicians who may wish to introduce the hymn to their congregations the following month, perhaps by having the choir introduce the hymn on the first Sunday of the month or season and then inviting the congregation to join with the choir in singing the hymn on each remaining Sunday. Additional hymns will occasionally be suggested for a particular Sunday or festival in the church year; such hymns may only be appropriate on the designated day, or they might be used as a Hymn of the Month in anticipation of or in response to the particular day on the church calendar.
Hymn of the Month for April 2025:
Text: “Fill the Air with Shouts of Joy!”, James Hart Brumm, Out of the Ordinary, p. 18. Tune: HEARTLAND, Roy Hopp, Let Voices Break the Silence, p. 16 Alternate Tune: HATFIELD, Clark Kimberling, Sing to the Lord a New Song, p. 18.
As with the March Hymn of the Month, the April Hymn of the Month might more aptly be considered a Hymn of the Season for Early Easter. If introduced by the choir on Easter Sunday (or on the Second Sunday of Easter since the former may not be the best day for introducing a new hymn), the hymn could appropriately be sung by the congregation on the following three Sundays. The hymn for early Easter in 2025 is “Fill the Air with Shouts of Joy!”, a joyful text, indeed, by James Hart Brumm (b. 1962), with allusions to three of the possible readings appointed for The Resurrection of Our Lord in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary, namely Isaiah 65.17-25, 1 Corinthians 15.19-26, and Luke 24.1-12. The suggested tune published by The Leupold Foundation is HEARTLAND by Roy Hopp (b. 1951), who has crafted a festive but accessible melody with ample repetition, always helpful when teaching a new tune to the congregation. An alternate tune, just as accessible, also published by The Leupold Foundation, is HATFIELD by Clark Kimberling (b. 1942).
James Hart Brumm is a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America (RCA), serving as Assistant Professor of Reformed Church Studies, director of the Reformed Church Center and Theological Writing Center, and General Editor of Beardslee Press at New Brunswick Theological Seminary (New Brunswick, New Jersey). He serves the larger RCA as General Editor of The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America and moderator of the denomination’s Commission on Theology. On weekends, he serves as Transition Pastorfor the Presbyterian Church at Peace Chapel in North Brunswick, New Jersey. His five volumes of hymn text, published by The Leupold Foundation include Out of the Ordinary (2001), Rhythms of Praises (2009), Alleluias All Our Days (2014), Sing the Good News (2023), and God Brings Joy (2024).
Roy Hopp is Director of Music at Eastern Avenue Christ Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He studied at Calvin College and Michigan State University, and his collection of hymn tunes, Let Voices Break the Silence, was published by The Leupold Foundation in 2017.
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