Worship and Music

Since posting the previous blog, I have been doing a little reading on the subject of worship and music. In fact the document mentioned in passing in the previous post, which by the way is sixteen pages long, has been a wonderful guide to understanding the nuances of worship music. I have, however, not become an expert in this field since my last post by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. Much of what Leonard R. Payton writes in “Congregational Singing and the Ministry of the Word" certainly strikes a resonant chord in my understanding of worship and music. My desire is to glorify God as a member of a congregation through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. In addition, that we sing with gratitude in our heart for our great God and Savior, and that we may be teaching one another and admonishing through the words we utter in melodious unison.

Leonard Payton makes the following statement: “If our song texts are not overtly stating objective facts of Christ-centered redemption we are depriving our congregations of true joy.” I couldn't agree more.   Perhaps that is why a large group of us prefer the older traditional songs. Many actually teach, admonish and express gratitude....yes, all three. I remember, on an internet discussion forum, I had mentioned something that the Lord had done in my life and I stated that I would now raise an “Ebenezer”. One member of the forum asked me what the Ebenezer thing was all about....which opened a great teaching opportunity.  Now, how many in our churches and hymnal producers today have removed that line from “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”? I have a hymnal in front of me, “Hymns for the Living Church”, dated 1974 and that strange "Ebenezer" word is not even recorded. I dug a little deeper into my hymnal file and found one, the “All American Church Hymnal”, dated 1957. Let me quote, from it, the second verse: “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; Hither by thy help I’ve come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home; Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.” But, you say, our young people won't know what were singing about. Exactly! What an opportunity we have to teach, admonish and show gratitude through the words we sing. Of course, all my readers are aware that this second verse is based on I Samuel 7:12.

I will finish this blog with a direct quotation from Leonard Payton in his above mentioned article. He says it so much better than I can. “....great old hymn texts are what we should be teaching, For until sometime during the eighteenth century the overwhelming majority of Christian song texts were written by ordained ministers of the Word. The texts reflected the depth of their theological training. Since that time, there has been a steady decline in the proportion of song texts produced by ministers of the Word to that of lay people self-ordained to the task. So extreme is the case now that anyone who knows a half dozen chords on a guitar and can produce rhymes to Hallmark card specifications is considered qualified to exercise this component of the ministry of the Word regardless of theological training and examination. For the spiritual well-being of our children they must learn the great old pre-revivalist hymns. It is amazing how many children enjoy Mr. Rogers' operas. Children will acculturate to what is placed before them. Remember, worship music is an issue of shepherding.”

Go HERE to read Payton’s article.

Madly in Love

March 31st, 2008 was my very first blog. It is a post that honors the song, lyrics and music, of “The Love of God”. People are still “googling” the words “The Love of God” and clicking on my post. I’m honored. It is a great song. Now, this current post, in contradistinction is about, what I think, is a very, very bad song. Our congregation was asked to sing this song at a worship service recently. Some folks did. I refused to sing the words to this little ditty. (words posted below)

It seems to me that, perhaps, we are getting a little too familiar with our Great God and Savior, not to mention that it is inappropriate, improper, incongruous, inept, unbecoming, unfit and unseemly, to say to the King and Lord of all the universe...”I’m madly in love with you”. Doesn’t this sound a little homoerotic for a man to sing? As Charlie Brown would say, “good grief”! Madly in love? Has the culture infiltrated so far into Christ’s Church that the flesh appealing, sappy, romantic, love song, night-club genre must be incorporated into the Corporate Body. Wouldn’t it be appropriate, as it is in interpreting scripture, to refer to those in the faith who have gone on before? Check out Watts, Wesley and Toplady rather than Manilow, Anka and McCartney. A cursory review will reveal those great composers were not prone to write songs about how or how much WE love God, but how much He loves us.

Furthermore, what about the words, “And all of my life and nothing less, I offer you my righteousness”? Now before you jump all over me and illuminate my lack of understanding, I am aware that, according to the song writer, there should be a comma after the word “you” and righteousness should be capitalized. So...how does one sing a comma or proper punctuation? Will the congregation be confused thinking that we are offering to God OUR righteousness, which, as we all know, is as filthy rags? So...forgive me, please. Next time we are asked to sing this song, I’ll take the opportunity to fill out the attendance card.

Verse:
I'm madly in love with you
I'm madly in love with you
I'm madly in love with you
I'm madly in love with you

Chorus:
Let what we do in here
Fill the streets out there
Let us dance for you
Let us dance for you
Let what we do in here
Fill the streets out there
Let us dance for you
Let us dance for you

Bridge:
And all of my life and nothing less
I offer to you my righteousness
And all of my life and nothing less
I offer to you my righteousness

Greetings

Vengeance is Mine, saith the Cartoonist

This story was the inspiration for the above cartoon:
( A Horse's What?")  (click cartoon to enlarge)

The Slippery Slope

In 2006 Colonial Presbyterian along with 6 other Heartland Presbytery churches, purchased a ¾ page ad in the local newspaper. The ad addressed the issues raised by the 217th General Assembly when they passed the Authoritative Interpretation (AI) that allows objections by candidates to existing ordination standards. The General Assembly said that a governing body can allow such exceptions or departures from the rules on a case-by-case basis if it determines that the departure does not involve an “essential” of Reformed faith or polity. To my knowledge the PC(USA) has not defined an “essential” of Reformed faith.

We received much criticism for this ad stating that we were making “much ado about nothing”. The entire ad can be viewed here: Colonial Ad

The ad stated that the seven churches were concerned that implementation of this AI would mean that any candidate for ordination could claim a scruple against whatever standard seemed particularly unsavory to them at the moment. In other words, “doing what seemed right in their own eyes”. The following is a portion of the 2006 ad which outlined our concerns:

"......... we cannot affirm the Recommendation that allows candidates for ordination (clergy, elders or deacons) to depart from our historic, biblical standards. Local license will become the rule as governing bodies each do “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

We find ourselves in a place where our historic, biblical standards continue to be maintained in our constitution but will be open for debate on a local level. As a result, it would become possible for Presbyterian clergy, elders and deacons to be ordained who:
1. Do not affirm the deity of Jesus Christ.
2. Do not believe that it is essential for salvation to name Christ as Savior.
3. Do not believe that the Christian scriptures are the inspired, unique and
authoritative Word of God.
4. Do not promise or promote sexual fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness, but rather affirm and embrace a variety of alternative sexual lifestyles."

Colonial’s concerns were borne out this week when the Synod of the Pacific upheld the right of Lisa Larges, a lesbian candidate for ministry, to declare an objection (scruple) to the ordination standards that require fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness. This, I would assume, will be the first of a series of departures from the faith that will come down the slippery slopes upon which this scruple stands. The dimly lit lampstand of the PC(USA) appears, to me, to be flickering toward extinguishment.

“To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. “(Deut 32:35-36)

See stories here, here and here.