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well, pray. major decisions begin with prayer. does your pastor support you in your decision?
and lastly... with introducing new music... start with music that is slower in tempo, and strong in lyrical content
by that, I mean that the lyrical content must strongly emphasize the worship of God...
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Posted 07/01/2009 02:05pm
Author: blackrose65
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Hello Marty6, the ongoing debate over the types of worship in the Church has been an ongoing debate that have ravaged the Church for centuries. It has divided congregations, led to the resignation, or worse, firing of pastors and worship leaders, and created chasms of division in the Body of Christ that we can ill afford. A few years ago, I came across a letter written by an elder in a church decrying the hymn "Amazing Grace" as carnal and catering to the flesh when it was first introduced! Music change, culture changes, but the sinful nature of man remains ever abiding. The central issue surrounding the debate has always revolved around the unfortunate circumstance of self-centeredness. Worship in the Church have constantly been framed on the notion on what different people and generations of people feel are the most appropriate form of offering worship to God, but in reality, the real debate if put in brutally honest terms is what we feel would allow us to enter into a state of worship to God. I have real issues with this attitude, because it underlines a deeper more troubling spiritual problem.
A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a church service in the ghettos of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The church building was no more than a very large makeshift structure of salvaged planks, zinc roofing, and discarded building material. There were precious few chairs let alone comfortable cushioned ones. People STOOD or SQUATTED, or KNEELLED on the dirt "floor". The sound system consisted essentially of archaic bull-horns and strained vocal chords, and the musical accompaniment no more than a handful of very old, very worn acoustic guitars, empty oil cans, washboards, and makeshift rattles of all kinds. No pipe organs, no piano, no electric guitars, no drums. Regardless, the worship was spirit filled and authentic because the 1,000 plus people who gathered to worship were more concerned about raising a joyful noise unto the Lord than meeting any particular musical standard to please themselves.
I do not think it accidental that when asked what the greatest command was, that our Lord answered by saying that we should love God first and foremost with all our heart, soul, and mind, then followed by loving our neighbours as ourselves. I will grant, (with sincere reservations) that perhaps the majority will agree (intellectually) with the first commandment to love God first and foremost (something I will get back to) but I am convinced that we have reversed his addendum by loving ourselves before we love our neighbours. This causes me to question the first because if we truly love God first and foremost, then we would obey His command to love other AS we love ourselves. The solution to the problem though deceptively simple is one hard nut to crack, but it is essentially this: We enter His house to worship Him and we are more concerned with how we can make worship more meaningful and joyful for others BEFORE, or at the very least, as much as, for ourselves. Can you hear it now? Instead of wrangling over which type of music would edify us first, the older generation would clamor to ensure that the younger generation would be edified, arguing for more contemporary music over more traditional ones (even if it does jar their ears), and the younger generation would be demanding more traditional hymns and instrumentation so the older generation would be edified (even if it does not meet their decibel expectations). There would still be debate, but that debate would be other-focused and a mutually satisfying outcome becomes one that is not only realizable but one that unites rather than divide.
Call me a dreamer, but I long for the day when ALL churches would approach not only music in this manner, but all things. I think this to be of paramount importance because it builds spiritual health and eventually the question from both parties within the Body would become how we can worship not to please us but to please God and how we can worship to include the unspoken other ... the unchurched.
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Posted 07/09/2009 06:51pm
Author: arisensleeper
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Thanks so very much Blackrose65 for sharing your ideas. That is a good idea to start with slower songs with good lyrics. We did that last Sunday with " Heal This Nation". The lyrics were just great and held so much meaning for everyone. Yes, i will continue to pray; God is good and I feel will lead us to what is right and what he wants for our church. Thanks, Mart
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Posted 07/11/2009 01:03pm
Author: marty6
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Thank you so much for your wonderful, heartfelt comments. i read them over and over and I feel like God sent your comments just to help me understand what he expects from me. You couldn't be more correct. We are to love our God above all else and if we really think about it Jesus loved others first. Thanks so much for reminding me I will continue to pray about this issue and God will lead us all. Thanks so much. God bless. Martha
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Posted 07/11/2009 01:07pm
Author: marty6
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