Worshipping Together Musically
"Making Disciples who Make a Difference."
We're moving to one service this month for the foreseeable future. We've had two worship services for a long time, and heading into one can feel like a daunting task or an uphill battle. I'd like to offer you a simple way to lean into the opportunities over the next few weeks:
Say hello to anyone you see and introduce yourself.
Even if you've known them for decades, try reintroducing yourself. You have see someone that you've not been with for a few years; introduce yourself again. There might be faces that are totally new; especially in this case, introduce yourself.
Don't worry about that awkward "but I've known them for years and never could remember their name." This is a time to forge and refine our community, our sense of unity. And the first step on that long journey is just to offer your name and try to remember other people's names, too. A welcoming and hospitable church comes down to individuals extending a handshake and an introduction.
Let's lean into this opportunity to say hello for the first time again. See you all at our worship service!
SENJA MORGAN
Director of Music
Worshipping Together Musically
Worshipping Together Musically
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together.
We are about to re-enter a season of worshipping together in one Sunday morning service. What might that be like musically? The words “blended” and “mixed” have been thrown around lately. Let’s explore those labels; first a little history:
Church music styles have changed with each generation. Over the years, many churches split over musical style, while others created separate “traditional” and “contemporary” services. Eventually, “Blended Worship” came about as a possible solution...
What Goes in the “Blender?”
Our resources: music styles, instruments, ensembles, people, “equipment” (organs, sound systems, hymnals) plus the liturgy and presentations. What are some different methods of blending? Here’s one list, according to Greg Sheer, professor of worship at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan:
• Separate services (contemporary and traditional) could be seen as diversity under one roof.
• Blending over time with different styles each week, with the goal of presenting a blend of styles over the course of a month or season.
• Blend by section. Different leaders and styles for different sections of the service; for example, an opening hymn on an organ followed by a praise set, then a cappella global prayer song, etc.
• Total blend. All musical styles and ensembles are used throughout every service.
A Smoothie, Fruit Salad, or a Cornucopia?
Every style of music will challenge worshippers because everyone has their own preferences. Some people love a “smoothie” which is a total blend of ingredients. Others prefer a harmonious fruit salad where it’s all together in one bowl, but you can still recognize a slice of apple, a chunk of melon, etc. Some folks might not want their fruit cut up at all. Let a pear be a pear; a banana stays in its peel--a cornucopia of choice.
When Musical Taste Is a Precondition for Worship
According to Tim Gough, our worship should reach in three directions:
Upward. We’re to love and honor God.
Outward. We’re to serve and uplift each other.
Inward. We’re to encourage our hearts and minds to respond.
Some tend to add a fourth step, which is, ‘we should relate to all of the music.’ This could reverse the process, which ends up looking like this:
Double Inward: Am I properly entertained by, and comfortable with, the music provided?
Inward: Do I feel like I can now respond to God?
Outward: Do I feel like I can encourage others to get stuck in?
Upward: Do I feel like God likes what I’m doing?
Every stage becomes governed by our own feelings, and our own judgment could cloud the musical offering.
Worship Preferences: When Musical Taste Is a Precondition for Worship, a ChurchLeaders article by Tim Gough -January 2019
Music Style and Community
As we enter this season of worshipping together in one service, let’s commit to supporting one another and join Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who provides) at our worship table. Our church community is indeed a “cornucopia” of resources, styles, preferences--- you name it. However, let us set aside the labels and enter into worship “Soli Deo Gloria:” to God alone be the glory, as J.S. Bach penned on every single church music composition. Again, in the words of Bonhoeffer:
“God has prepared for Himself one great song of praise throughout eternity, and those who enter the community of God join in this song. It is the song that the “morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” at the creation of the world. (Job 38:7). It is the victory song of the children of Israel after passing through the Red Sea, the Magnificat of Mary after the annunciation, the song of Paul and Silas in the night of prison, …the “song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3) It is the song of the heavenly fellowship.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together