Last month I wrote about smoothies, fruit salads, and cornucopias, in the context of "Blended worship." What kinds of “musical fruit” go into this mix?
We often think of worship musical style in two categories: Traditional and Contemporary. Hymns and Praise songs. Classic and Modern. But in many ways, that’s far too simplistic. Worship music comes in many forms.
Both ancient and new chants appear in our hymnal. (O Come O Come Emmanuel; Jesus Remember Me). Traditional hymns have been reimagined by contemporary songwriters, sometimes adding a chorus (New Doxology.) New hymns and praise songs are written all the time and some have made it into denominational hymnals (In Christ Alone; Give Thanks.)
And there are many styles that can be led by both choirs and worship bands: Gospel music, spirituals, folk, Celtic, sacred jazz, global songs, and carols.
Across the next few months, we'll look more closely at the anatomy of the various styles of worship music used in our church today. We'll discover why some music encourages repetition in our singing (not just praise songs), and how different types of music reach the hearts of all kinds of worshippers.
Meanwhile, as we all readjust to worshipping together in the midst of our personal preferences for certain musical styles, let's recall what St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians:
