A couple of years ago we watched the excellent movie "United 93". The movie takes place on September 11, 2001, and it's director tried to stay as completely faithful to the events regarding that flight as possible, down to the exact words of the various passengers, as recorded or recollected by their relatives. As you may remember, United flight 93 was the airliner on which the passengers chose to attack the terrorists who had hijacked the plane, resulting in it crashing in a field in Pennsylvania rather than into Washington, D.C.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie involved a very young woman calling home on her cell phone. She had just comprehended that the plane was destined to crash, one way or another, and that she was facing certain death. At her parent's home, her stepmother answered the phone. The young woman, in a panicked voice, explained to her stepmother the circumstances she was in. The older woman had already seen news coverage of the other three planes crashing, and quickly understood the situation. She drew a deep breath, and, in the calmest of voices, began to guide the younger woman through her final moments. They expressed their love for each other. Then, the stepmother, seeking to calm the panicked girl, said something like,"I have my arms around you. Do you feel them?" With that, the demeanor of the younger woman changed. She relaxed. "Yes, I feel them," she replied.
Ever since then, that scene has come to mind when we use the hymn "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" in a worship service. When the refrain lyrics were written by A.J. Showalter in 1887, he was inspired by Deuteronomy 33:26-27: "There is none like the God of Jerusalem- he descends from the heavens in majestic splendor to help you. The eternal God is your Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Showalter had just received word from two different friends on the same day, that their young wives had died. In writing his condolences, he had added this verse in his notes to them.
Showalter then wrote to another friend, Elisha Hoffman. Hoffman was an Evangelical Presbyterian pastor in the Cincinnati area, and associated with that denomination's publishing house. Showalter suggested that Hoffman compose a hymn based on his suggestions about this verse. Though both of these men would be considered amateur hymn writers, between them they wrote what has become a favorite standard hymn. (Hoffman also wrote another popular hymn, "I Must Tell Jesus".)
Though the tune is rousing and joyous, the reassuring message that was illustrated by the scene in "United 93" is there. Believers can "rest" in the finished work of Jesus Christ on their behalf. In times of struggle, we can relax into the everlasting arms of our Lord.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
(refrain)
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
(refrain)
Elisha Albright Hoffman (1839-1929)
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
An Older Chapter in the "Worship Wars"
"I Sing the Mighty Power of God"
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
"Joy to the World, The Lord Has Come"
"Alas, And Did My Saviour Bleed"
"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"
"At the Cross"
"We're Marching to Zion"
What do all these wonderful old traditional hymns have in common? They are all written by an eighteenth century English pastor named Isaac Watts. This is but a very abbreviated list. If you have any familiarity with traditional hymnody, you would recognize dozens of his contributions to the world of Christian worship!
Though we think of these hymns as traditional, or tried and true, songs of the church, it might surprise you to know that Watts was a cutting-edge, and much maligned, creator of contemporary worship in his day and time. Here is a short biographical video produced by Mars Hill Church of Seattle, that gives you a sense of his role in the history of Christian music.
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
"Joy to the World, The Lord Has Come"
"Alas, And Did My Saviour Bleed"
"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"
"At the Cross"
"We're Marching to Zion"
What do all these wonderful old traditional hymns have in common? They are all written by an eighteenth century English pastor named Isaac Watts. This is but a very abbreviated list. If you have any familiarity with traditional hymnody, you would recognize dozens of his contributions to the world of Christian worship!
Though we think of these hymns as traditional, or tried and true, songs of the church, it might surprise you to know that Watts was a cutting-edge, and much maligned, creator of contemporary worship in his day and time. Here is a short biographical video produced by Mars Hill Church of Seattle, that gives you a sense of his role in the history of Christian music.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Hymn of the Week- "Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending"
I've always loved to study music history; it was one of my favorite classes at the University of Illinois, where I got my degree in Music Education.
I also love to study the sources of the music we use in church, both old and new, and find out a little about what specifically inspired the composers and lyricists in each case.
I thought it might be interesting to post about music that will be used in an upcoming service, so that those attending will perhaps enjoy the piece more. If you are reading this from a distance, maybe you'll also find some of this background interesting. Even if you're not a church attender, it can be fascinating to have a peek into the historical roots of some of our most influential musicians and poets, and perhaps gain insight into what Christians are reflecting on, whether you agree with it or not. This research is really for my own benefit, but I'll just put it out there anyway. I can't promise that I'll post something weekly, but I'm going to shoot for that as a goal.
This Sunday, the topic of the sermon is The Second Coming of Christ, as it is described in Luke's Gospel, chapter 17, verses 20-37. It's a subject that is endlessly debated, and I have no intention of going into the theology of it here. However, I, and the planning committee I meet with, was responsible for coming up with the music for the service that would support that sermon.
One hymn the congregation will sing is "Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending". Though it's words are attributed to the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, it was actually based on a poem written by an eighteenth century land surveyor from Reading, England, named John Cennick. He eventually became a Moravian preacher. However, Wesley and two others, Martin Madan and a London cobbler named Thomas Olivers, adapted it for use in the Methodist movement.
Don't you love that? A surveyor, a cobbler, and one of the most famous hymn writers of that time, all contributing to this hymn! It's great poetry, too, based primarily on the first chapter of Revelation.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand, thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train;
Halleluiah! Halleluiah!
God appears on earth to reign.
Every eye shall now behold Him,
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing
Shall the true Messiah see.
The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture,
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee,
High on Thy eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
Halleluiah! Halleluiah!
Everlasting God come down!
I also love to study the sources of the music we use in church, both old and new, and find out a little about what specifically inspired the composers and lyricists in each case.
I thought it might be interesting to post about music that will be used in an upcoming service, so that those attending will perhaps enjoy the piece more. If you are reading this from a distance, maybe you'll also find some of this background interesting. Even if you're not a church attender, it can be fascinating to have a peek into the historical roots of some of our most influential musicians and poets, and perhaps gain insight into what Christians are reflecting on, whether you agree with it or not. This research is really for my own benefit, but I'll just put it out there anyway. I can't promise that I'll post something weekly, but I'm going to shoot for that as a goal.
This Sunday, the topic of the sermon is The Second Coming of Christ, as it is described in Luke's Gospel, chapter 17, verses 20-37. It's a subject that is endlessly debated, and I have no intention of going into the theology of it here. However, I, and the planning committee I meet with, was responsible for coming up with the music for the service that would support that sermon.
One hymn the congregation will sing is "Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending". Though it's words are attributed to the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, it was actually based on a poem written by an eighteenth century land surveyor from Reading, England, named John Cennick. He eventually became a Moravian preacher. However, Wesley and two others, Martin Madan and a London cobbler named Thomas Olivers, adapted it for use in the Methodist movement.
Don't you love that? A surveyor, a cobbler, and one of the most famous hymn writers of that time, all contributing to this hymn! It's great poetry, too, based primarily on the first chapter of Revelation.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand, thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train;
Halleluiah! Halleluiah!
God appears on earth to reign.
Every eye shall now behold Him,
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing
Shall the true Messiah see.
The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture,
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee,
High on Thy eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
Halleluiah! Halleluiah!
Everlasting God come down!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Fifth Sunday Family Gathering
Our church has kind of a unique arrangement for our multiple services. We have an 8:15am contemporary style service, followed by Sunday School at 9:30am (with a coffee time in between), and then we have two 10:45 am services, one contemporary and one traditional. That means that Pastor Randy preaches three times each Sunday, and that at 10:45 we "share" him. He preaches early in the 10:45 contemporary service, and then walks to the other side of the building to give his sermon in the traditional service.
Three years ago, when we first started doing this I, with my gift of encouragement, predicted disaster. I was wrong, thank goodness. Though there are challenges for the staff in this schedule, it has worked out pretty well, and our attendance has grown steadily. All three services are well attended.
One thing we all wanted to prevent, since we are an almost 145 year-old congregation, and have many multi-generational families, was the development of three "congregations" that had no sense of connection with each other. One way we did that was to keep our very strong Sunday School system untouched. Most people can remain connected through those classes even if they attend different services.
Another thing we did was institute our Fifth Sunday Family Gatherings. Four times a year, when there is a fifth Sunday in a month, we scrap our usual schedule and meet for a joint service. Sheer numbers means we have to meet in the room that is used for the contemporary service, as we won't all squeeze into the sanctuary. Unfortunately, this means we can't use the pipe organ, but when we plan this service we work very hard to make sure the music is a blend of old and new, and that we use worship elements that feel accessible to every age group. We use musicians from both "sides". We use those services to highlight "family" celebrations: welcoming new members, giving the children entering fourth grade their first Bibles, hearing from the youth about their mission trip, and recognizing those who are graduating from high school or college. These are things the whole congregation likes to unite in celebrating.
This past week was the Sunday we met together, and we recognized the graduates. No, graduating from school is not a particularly "spiritual" thing, but we want to offer encouragement and prayer for those who are moving on to a new stage in their lives. That thought led me to choose a fairly contemporary choral piece for the choir, "Be Strong, and Take Courage", by Basil Chaisson. Before singing it, four of the choir members read these verses:
"Yes I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NLT)
"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowlege and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much praise and glory to God." (Phil. 1:9-11, NLT)
"So we keep on praying for you, asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:11-12, NLT)
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11, NLT)
It was meaningful to the choir to give this benediction to the graduates on this special Sunday, the Fifth Sunday Family Gathering.
And then, being Baptists, we just had to follow that with a potluck!
Three years ago, when we first started doing this I, with my gift of encouragement, predicted disaster. I was wrong, thank goodness. Though there are challenges for the staff in this schedule, it has worked out pretty well, and our attendance has grown steadily. All three services are well attended.
One thing we all wanted to prevent, since we are an almost 145 year-old congregation, and have many multi-generational families, was the development of three "congregations" that had no sense of connection with each other. One way we did that was to keep our very strong Sunday School system untouched. Most people can remain connected through those classes even if they attend different services.
Another thing we did was institute our Fifth Sunday Family Gatherings. Four times a year, when there is a fifth Sunday in a month, we scrap our usual schedule and meet for a joint service. Sheer numbers means we have to meet in the room that is used for the contemporary service, as we won't all squeeze into the sanctuary. Unfortunately, this means we can't use the pipe organ, but when we plan this service we work very hard to make sure the music is a blend of old and new, and that we use worship elements that feel accessible to every age group. We use musicians from both "sides". We use those services to highlight "family" celebrations: welcoming new members, giving the children entering fourth grade their first Bibles, hearing from the youth about their mission trip, and recognizing those who are graduating from high school or college. These are things the whole congregation likes to unite in celebrating.
This past week was the Sunday we met together, and we recognized the graduates. No, graduating from school is not a particularly "spiritual" thing, but we want to offer encouragement and prayer for those who are moving on to a new stage in their lives. That thought led me to choose a fairly contemporary choral piece for the choir, "Be Strong, and Take Courage", by Basil Chaisson. Before singing it, four of the choir members read these verses:
"Yes I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NLT)
"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowlege and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much praise and glory to God." (Phil. 1:9-11, NLT)
"So we keep on praying for you, asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:11-12, NLT)
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11, NLT)
It was meaningful to the choir to give this benediction to the graduates on this special Sunday, the Fifth Sunday Family Gathering.
And then, being Baptists, we just had to follow that with a potluck!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Wintley Phipps-Amazing Grace
One of my choir members, Hilary S., sent me this over the weekend, and I thought you'd love it as much as I did:
Saturday, January 24, 2009
We Haven't Got Everything We're Going to Get!
I saw this quote today on Justin Taylor's blog, and it just blew me away. What refreshment leading into Sunday! Now, I'm expecting a wonderful surprise tomorrow!
"Possibly one of the most devastating things that can happen to us as Christians is that we cease to expect anything to happen. I am not sure but that this is not one of our greatest troubles today. We come to our services and they are orderly, they are nice ‒ we come, we go ‒ and sometimes they are timed almost to the minute, and there it is. But that is not Christianity, my friend. Where is the Lord of glory? Where is the one sitting by the well? Are we expecting him? Do we anticipate this? Are we open to it? Are we aware that we are ever facing this glorious possibility of having the greatest surprise of our life?
"Or let me put it like this. You may feel and say ‒ as many do ‒ ‘I was converted and became a Christian. I’ve grown ‒ yes, I’ve grown in knowledge, I’ve been reading books, I’ve been listening to sermons, but I’ve arrived now at a sort of peak and all I do is maintain that. For the rest of my life I will just go on like this.’
"Now, my friend, you must get rid of that attitude; you must get rid of it once and for ever. That is ‘religion’, it is not Christianity. This is Christianity: the Lord appears! Suddenly, in the midst of the drudgery and the routine and the sameness and the dullness and the drabness, unexpectedly, surprisingly, he meets with you and he says something to you that changes the whole of your life and your outlook and lifts you to a level that you had never conceived could be possible for you. Oh, if we get nothing else from this story, I hope we will get this. Do not let the devil persuade you that you have got all you are going to get, still less that you received all you were ever going to receive when you were converted. That has been a popular teaching, even among evangelicals. You get everything at your conversion, it is said, including baptism with the Spirit, and nothing further, ever. Oh, do not believe it; it is not true. It is not true to the teaching of the Scriptures, it is not true in the experience of the saints running down the centuries. There is always this glorious possibility of meeting with him in a new and a dynamic way."
Living Water: Studies in John 4--56 previously unpublished sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
"Possibly one of the most devastating things that can happen to us as Christians is that we cease to expect anything to happen. I am not sure but that this is not one of our greatest troubles today. We come to our services and they are orderly, they are nice ‒ we come, we go ‒ and sometimes they are timed almost to the minute, and there it is. But that is not Christianity, my friend. Where is the Lord of glory? Where is the one sitting by the well? Are we expecting him? Do we anticipate this? Are we open to it? Are we aware that we are ever facing this glorious possibility of having the greatest surprise of our life?
"Or let me put it like this. You may feel and say ‒ as many do ‒ ‘I was converted and became a Christian. I’ve grown ‒ yes, I’ve grown in knowledge, I’ve been reading books, I’ve been listening to sermons, but I’ve arrived now at a sort of peak and all I do is maintain that. For the rest of my life I will just go on like this.’
"Now, my friend, you must get rid of that attitude; you must get rid of it once and for ever. That is ‘religion’, it is not Christianity. This is Christianity: the Lord appears! Suddenly, in the midst of the drudgery and the routine and the sameness and the dullness and the drabness, unexpectedly, surprisingly, he meets with you and he says something to you that changes the whole of your life and your outlook and lifts you to a level that you had never conceived could be possible for you. Oh, if we get nothing else from this story, I hope we will get this. Do not let the devil persuade you that you have got all you are going to get, still less that you received all you were ever going to receive when you were converted. That has been a popular teaching, even among evangelicals. You get everything at your conversion, it is said, including baptism with the Spirit, and nothing further, ever. Oh, do not believe it; it is not true. It is not true to the teaching of the Scriptures, it is not true in the experience of the saints running down the centuries. There is always this glorious possibility of meeting with him in a new and a dynamic way."
Living Water: Studies in John 4--56 previously unpublished sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Shifting From Self-Focus To Christ-Focus In Worship
Every week, before we enter the Sanctuary, the choir prays together for the congregation. We pray that our members will truly worship; that the message Pastor Randy has been led to give will be listened to, remembered, and acted upon; that the music we have rehearsed so carefully will be pleasing to God, and lead the congregation's thoughts toward Him; that all thoughts will turn from self and toward the Lord.
Though we pray for these things, the congregation has responsibility for their experience, too. The attitudes that come in the door with them will, to a great degree, determine how much or how little they feel the presence of the Lord, each Sunday morning.
"We can settle into a routine of activities at church and in our small groups and Bible studies, with little expectation of anything new. The familiar becomes the predictable, and everything from here on out will be more of the same. We dip our teaspoon into the vast ocean of the living God. Holding that teaspoon in our hand, we say, “This is God.” We pour it out into our lives, and we say, “This is the Christian Experience.” Do our lives reflect the power, wonder, glory, love, and holiness of the living God? Do we downplay people’s expectations of knowing Jesus Christ?
"So what is the proof that the Spirit is being poured out on us? The voice of the church rings with prophetic clarity. The people of God are no longer passive, intimidated, unresponsive, uncertain. They are no longer preoccupied with self, convenience, comfort. They are no longer complaining, whining, griping. Instead, they become outspoken in God’s praises and gospel truth, “declaring the wonders of God” (Acts 2:11). To turn us from self-exaltation to Christ-exaltation, from self-focus to Christ-focus, is a true mark of God’s presence in our midst."
BobKauflin , reflecting on Ray Ortlund's "When God Comes To Church" . I encourage you to read the whole article.
Where are your thoughts on Sunday morning? Are they focused on you? Or are they focused on Christ?
Though we pray for these things, the congregation has responsibility for their experience, too. The attitudes that come in the door with them will, to a great degree, determine how much or how little they feel the presence of the Lord, each Sunday morning.
"We can settle into a routine of activities at church and in our small groups and Bible studies, with little expectation of anything new. The familiar becomes the predictable, and everything from here on out will be more of the same. We dip our teaspoon into the vast ocean of the living God. Holding that teaspoon in our hand, we say, “This is God.” We pour it out into our lives, and we say, “This is the Christian Experience.” Do our lives reflect the power, wonder, glory, love, and holiness of the living God? Do we downplay people’s expectations of knowing Jesus Christ?
"So what is the proof that the Spirit is being poured out on us? The voice of the church rings with prophetic clarity. The people of God are no longer passive, intimidated, unresponsive, uncertain. They are no longer preoccupied with self, convenience, comfort. They are no longer complaining, whining, griping. Instead, they become outspoken in God’s praises and gospel truth, “declaring the wonders of God” (Acts 2:11). To turn us from self-exaltation to Christ-exaltation, from self-focus to Christ-focus, is a true mark of God’s presence in our midst."
BobKauflin , reflecting on Ray Ortlund's "When God Comes To Church" . I encourage you to read the whole article.
Where are your thoughts on Sunday morning? Are they focused on you? Or are they focused on Christ?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
"Tis The Season
Today at staff meeting I proofed the worship order for the Christmas Eve Service. Oh, what a sense of accomplishment that was! Although there is still one more choir rehearsal before our special Sunday of music this weekend, it is finalizing the Christmas Eve service that allows me to feel that all the pieces are in place for our church's celebrations.
Sunday morning we will have lots of beautiful Christmas hymns, extra instrumentalists, and, as has become our custom, a sermon given as a first person dramatization by Pastor Randy. This year he is portraying the Innkeeper. He does this in costume, with all of his message memorized. The job of the choir is to sing two anthems that will support the theme of this sermon. People love this special service, and every year folks invite their friends and family members to come especially to experience it.
Then, Christmas Eve, we will have our traditional evening candle-light service. Scripture will be read. Again, there will be Christmas hymns and carols, soloists and instrumentalists, and the children acting out the Christmas story under Ellen's supervision. At the end, with all the the lights out, we will all sing "Silent Night" as we light each other's candles. The room grows gently brighter as we sing each verse. We all remember the Light of the World, whose birth we celebrate.
I still have some presents to get together. I still need to clean (and baby-proof!!) the house for the arrival of our far away children. Haven't done any baking yet. But all is well. We're ready to worship.
Sunday morning we will have lots of beautiful Christmas hymns, extra instrumentalists, and, as has become our custom, a sermon given as a first person dramatization by Pastor Randy. This year he is portraying the Innkeeper. He does this in costume, with all of his message memorized. The job of the choir is to sing two anthems that will support the theme of this sermon. People love this special service, and every year folks invite their friends and family members to come especially to experience it.
Then, Christmas Eve, we will have our traditional evening candle-light service. Scripture will be read. Again, there will be Christmas hymns and carols, soloists and instrumentalists, and the children acting out the Christmas story under Ellen's supervision. At the end, with all the the lights out, we will all sing "Silent Night" as we light each other's candles. The room grows gently brighter as we sing each verse. We all remember the Light of the World, whose birth we celebrate.
I still have some presents to get together. I still need to clean (and baby-proof!!) the house for the arrival of our far away children. Haven't done any baking yet. But all is well. We're ready to worship.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Nice Andrew Peterson instrumental version, wherein Gregorian chant meets contemporary bluegrass. Love it.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday Stroll-November 30, 2008
First snow! It was so beautiful to see, when I got up a little before dawn this morning. I love the way it hushes everything.
The last red leaves clinging to the burning bush became tree ornaments.
It was the type of still, quiet snowfall that leaves a cake-frosting layer on each branch. 
The seed heads of the black-eyed susans became cotton balls.
I drove to the church, and chose a parking spot overlooking the park.
The bald cypress was flocked with white.
The holly by the door provided a foretaste of the Advent decor inside.
Both worship spaces reflected the hard work of the Visual Inspiration Committee's labors the day before.
The first snow, and the first Sunday of Advent!To see where others strolled today, visit The Quiet Country House.
This post has also been entered in Nancy Bond's First Snowfall meme. There are many other beautiful entries there from all over North America and Britain.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thankful To Be Just Another Bell-Ringer
Today in our local newspaper there was an appeal for volunteer bell-ringers for the seasonal Salvation Army fund drive. I've done this a couple of times before, when I worked with the youth group at church, but it's been quite awhile now, and I thought, with times like these, the Salvation Army can surely use all the helpers it can get, so I volunteered.
This reminded me of some reading I did last summer about the Salvation Army and it's founder, William Booth. One of the Army's Citadel bands had performed locally. As is typical, they were spectacular! Did you know that many of the finest contemporary band compositions and arrangements are coming from Salvation Army musicians? Thinking about that made me curious- why did this Christian ministry to the poor have such an emphasis on it's members being fine musicians? And why specifically the focus on brass band ensembles?
The research I did was fascinating, to say the least. When William Booth founded the Army in London in 1865, he felt passionately called to serve the poorest, most depraved residents of the city in a way that he felt the church was not able to do. A spell-binding speaker/preacher, he spoke in many dangerous slum environments, sometimes ending his sermons with blood running down his face from the rocks thrown at him by belligerent bystanders. Despite the mockers, he was successful in winning over many skid-row alcoholics, prostitutes, and thieves with his message of Christ's compassion. There remained, however, the necessity of getting them on a new path of life. He tried to help them enter into the life of existing churches in the city, but these unwashed, uncouth people were uncomfortable, and sometimes unwelcome, in ordinary congregations. Booth decided to create a church just for them. Since most were unused to discipline, he formed them into a quasi-military structure, giving leadership responsibility to people to whom it had never been entrusted before, and using a merit system that allowed new believers to rise through the ranks of the organization, a system still used today.
He struck upon a plan for those who were brand new to their redeemed lifestyle: he gave them each an instrument to play, and had them come with him when he went out to preach in the streets of London. Of course, they didn't play well, at least, not at first. But the sight of them, many notorious in their neighborhoods, soberly playing hymns, was moving to many who knew them, and attracted positive attention from the crowds. General Booth believed it was a kind of spiritual warfare to have these newly converted people with him, playing music and serving as a sort of peaceful bodyguard. Thus the tradition was born, and continues today. Now, the Army produces some of the best brass band musicians the world over.
In his later years, General Booth was asked to give a speech to an audience that included the British Royal Family, where he decided to give the assembled crowd a charge, based on his philosophy of ministry to the poor. What is well remembered was the rousing end, where he cried out, "Others! Others! Others!", a cry taken up by the crowd. What a summary of the life-work of this great man!
Vachel Lindsay wrote an incredible poem, with a heart-wrenching picture the heavenly celebration by those "others" in honor of General William Booth, and describes it's inspiration this way:
"The poem was built in part upon certain adventures while singing these songs. When I was dead broke, and begging, in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.A.), and much confused as to my next move in this world, I slept for three nights in The Salvation Army Quarters there. And when I passed through Newark, New Jersey, I slept in The Salvation Army Quarters there. . . . I know The Salvation Army from the inside. The Army was struggling with what General Booth called the submerged tenth of the population. And I was with the submerged.
"'General Booth' went into the lowest depths of London, with malice aforethought, with deliberate intention to rescue the most notoriously degraded, those given up by policeman, physician, preacher, and charity worker. . . He wanted to find those so low there were none lower. He put them into uniform. He put them under military discipline. He put them in authority over one another. He chose them musical instruments and their astonishing tunes. The world has forgotten what a scandal to respectable religion the resulting Army was when it began. It was like the day St. Francis handed all his clothes to the priest, or the day he cut off the hair of St. Clara.
"I set (my poem) to a tune that is not a tune, but a speech, a refrain used most frequently in the Meetings of The Army on any public square to this day."
'General William Booth Enters Heaven'
(BASS DRUM BEATEN LOUDLY)
Booth led boldly with his big bass drum-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
The Saints smiled gravely, and they said, 'He's come.'
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
Walking lepers followed, rank on rank,
Lurching bravos from the ditches dank,
Drabs from the alleyways and drug fiends pale-
Minds still passion-ridden, soul-powers frail;
Vermin-eaten saints with mouldy breath,
Unwashed legions with the ways of Death-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
I(BANJOES)
Every slum had sent its half-a-score
The round world over. (Booth had groaned for more.)
Every banner that the wide world flies
Bloomed with glory and transcendent dyes.
Big-voiced lassies made their banjoes bang;
Tranced, fanatical, they shrieked and sang-
'Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?'
Hallelujah! It was queer to see
Bull-necked convicts with that land made free.
Loons with trumpets blowed a blare, blare, blare,
On, on, upward through the golden air!
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
II(BASS DRUMS SLOWER AND SOFTER)
Booth died blind, and still by faith he trod,
Eyes still dazzled by the ways of God.
Booth led boldly, and he looked the chief,
Eagle countenance in sharp relief,
Beard aflying, air of high command,
Unabated in that holy land.
(SWEET FLUTE MUSIC)
Jesus came from out the court-house door,
Stretched His hands above the passing poor.
Booth saw not, but led his queer ones there,
Round and round the mighty courthouse square.
Then in an instant, all that blear review
Marched on spotless, clad in raiment new,
The lame were straightened, withered limbs uncurled,
And blind eyes opened on a new, sweet world.
(BASS DRUMS LOUDER)
Drabs and vixens in a feast made whole!
Gone was the weasel-head, the snout, the jowl!
Sages and sibyls now, and athletes clean,
Rulers of empire, and of forests green!
(GRAND CHORUS OF ALL INSTRUMENTS. TAMBOURINES TO THE FOREGROUND)
The hosts were sandalled, and their wings were fire!
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
But their noise played havoc with the angel-choir.
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
Oh, shout Salvation! It was good to see
Kings and Princes by the Lamb set free.
The banjoes rattled and the tambourines
Jing-jing-jingled in the hands of Queens.
(REVERENTLY SUNG, NO INSTRUMENTS)
And when Booth halted by the curb of prayer,
He saw his Master through the flag-filled air.
Christ came gently with a robe and crown
For Booth the Soldier, while the throng knelt down.
He saw King Jesus. They were face to face,
And he knelt a-weeping in that holy place.
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
This reminded me of some reading I did last summer about the Salvation Army and it's founder, William Booth. One of the Army's Citadel bands had performed locally. As is typical, they were spectacular! Did you know that many of the finest contemporary band compositions and arrangements are coming from Salvation Army musicians? Thinking about that made me curious- why did this Christian ministry to the poor have such an emphasis on it's members being fine musicians? And why specifically the focus on brass band ensembles?
The research I did was fascinating, to say the least. When William Booth founded the Army in London in 1865, he felt passionately called to serve the poorest, most depraved residents of the city in a way that he felt the church was not able to do. A spell-binding speaker/preacher, he spoke in many dangerous slum environments, sometimes ending his sermons with blood running down his face from the rocks thrown at him by belligerent bystanders. Despite the mockers, he was successful in winning over many skid-row alcoholics, prostitutes, and thieves with his message of Christ's compassion. There remained, however, the necessity of getting them on a new path of life. He tried to help them enter into the life of existing churches in the city, but these unwashed, uncouth people were uncomfortable, and sometimes unwelcome, in ordinary congregations. Booth decided to create a church just for them. Since most were unused to discipline, he formed them into a quasi-military structure, giving leadership responsibility to people to whom it had never been entrusted before, and using a merit system that allowed new believers to rise through the ranks of the organization, a system still used today.
He struck upon a plan for those who were brand new to their redeemed lifestyle: he gave them each an instrument to play, and had them come with him when he went out to preach in the streets of London. Of course, they didn't play well, at least, not at first. But the sight of them, many notorious in their neighborhoods, soberly playing hymns, was moving to many who knew them, and attracted positive attention from the crowds. General Booth believed it was a kind of spiritual warfare to have these newly converted people with him, playing music and serving as a sort of peaceful bodyguard. Thus the tradition was born, and continues today. Now, the Army produces some of the best brass band musicians the world over.
In his later years, General Booth was asked to give a speech to an audience that included the British Royal Family, where he decided to give the assembled crowd a charge, based on his philosophy of ministry to the poor. What is well remembered was the rousing end, where he cried out, "Others! Others! Others!", a cry taken up by the crowd. What a summary of the life-work of this great man!
Vachel Lindsay wrote an incredible poem, with a heart-wrenching picture the heavenly celebration by those "others" in honor of General William Booth, and describes it's inspiration this way:
"The poem was built in part upon certain adventures while singing these songs. When I was dead broke, and begging, in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.A.), and much confused as to my next move in this world, I slept for three nights in The Salvation Army Quarters there. And when I passed through Newark, New Jersey, I slept in The Salvation Army Quarters there. . . . I know The Salvation Army from the inside. The Army was struggling with what General Booth called the submerged tenth of the population. And I was with the submerged.
"'General Booth' went into the lowest depths of London, with malice aforethought, with deliberate intention to rescue the most notoriously degraded, those given up by policeman, physician, preacher, and charity worker. . . He wanted to find those so low there were none lower. He put them into uniform. He put them under military discipline. He put them in authority over one another. He chose them musical instruments and their astonishing tunes. The world has forgotten what a scandal to respectable religion the resulting Army was when it began. It was like the day St. Francis handed all his clothes to the priest, or the day he cut off the hair of St. Clara.
"I set (my poem) to a tune that is not a tune, but a speech, a refrain used most frequently in the Meetings of The Army on any public square to this day."
'General William Booth Enters Heaven'
(BASS DRUM BEATEN LOUDLY)
Booth led boldly with his big bass drum-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
The Saints smiled gravely, and they said, 'He's come.'
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
Walking lepers followed, rank on rank,
Lurching bravos from the ditches dank,
Drabs from the alleyways and drug fiends pale-
Minds still passion-ridden, soul-powers frail;
Vermin-eaten saints with mouldy breath,
Unwashed legions with the ways of Death-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
I(BANJOES)
Every slum had sent its half-a-score
The round world over. (Booth had groaned for more.)
Every banner that the wide world flies
Bloomed with glory and transcendent dyes.
Big-voiced lassies made their banjoes bang;
Tranced, fanatical, they shrieked and sang-
'Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?'
Hallelujah! It was queer to see
Bull-necked convicts with that land made free.
Loons with trumpets blowed a blare, blare, blare,
On, on, upward through the golden air!
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
II(BASS DRUMS SLOWER AND SOFTER)
Booth died blind, and still by faith he trod,
Eyes still dazzled by the ways of God.
Booth led boldly, and he looked the chief,
Eagle countenance in sharp relief,
Beard aflying, air of high command,
Unabated in that holy land.
(SWEET FLUTE MUSIC)
Jesus came from out the court-house door,
Stretched His hands above the passing poor.
Booth saw not, but led his queer ones there,
Round and round the mighty courthouse square.
Then in an instant, all that blear review
Marched on spotless, clad in raiment new,
The lame were straightened, withered limbs uncurled,
And blind eyes opened on a new, sweet world.
(BASS DRUMS LOUDER)
Drabs and vixens in a feast made whole!
Gone was the weasel-head, the snout, the jowl!
Sages and sibyls now, and athletes clean,
Rulers of empire, and of forests green!
(GRAND CHORUS OF ALL INSTRUMENTS. TAMBOURINES TO THE FOREGROUND)
The hosts were sandalled, and their wings were fire!
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
But their noise played havoc with the angel-choir.
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
Oh, shout Salvation! It was good to see
Kings and Princes by the Lamb set free.
The banjoes rattled and the tambourines
Jing-jing-jingled in the hands of Queens.
(REVERENTLY SUNG, NO INSTRUMENTS)
And when Booth halted by the curb of prayer,
He saw his Master through the flag-filled air.
Christ came gently with a robe and crown
For Booth the Soldier, while the throng knelt down.
He saw King Jesus. They were face to face,
And he knelt a-weeping in that holy place.
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
Monday, November 10, 2008
Thankful For The Voice
I'm thankful for my singing voice.
Now, before you think I'm just pridefully boasting, let explain why I'm saying this.
I think there are a lot of people who have natural musical ability and that's why we have so many children who enjoy band and choir in school and love listening to music. It's why we so enjoy singing together at church. It's why communities support orchestras, musical theater, music festivals. Far more people than not love music.
Then, there is the next category up, which I think gets into the nature/nurture debate. These are the many people who love music, have natural ability, and get good at actually producing it in some way. They receive encouragement from their families, take lessons, hear positive feedback from their friends, and have the discipline to really work hard at their practicing. A lot more people could be in this category than there actually are, in my opinion. As a former music educator, it was always my goal to convince children and their families that most people have at least some ability, and, if it is nurtured, they can have a lot of enjoyment from it their whole life long. I wish every child could have the chance to learn to read music, play an instrument, and sing as well as their voice will allow.
But, having been fortunate enough to have been born into a family that gave much encouragement like this, I got to have one more little thing. You see, in our family each generation seems to produce a person or two with The Voice. My great-grandmother was locally famous for her beautiful voice, the sort of voice that was wanted at weddings, funerals, and public events. My grandmother was the same way. I remember her singing solos in church and around town, and, though she was probably past her prime by the time I heard her, she was good! Then, when the DNA scrambled and created little ol' me, I got The Voice, too. And then it manifested itself in my oldest son.
It's a big, rich, rangy voice. And we didn't do a thing to deserve it. It was installed with our larynx in the womb. Having it doesn't make us better than anyone else. We could squander it by not using it, or ruin it by smoking, or look down on it because it's "more opera than pop". We could cave to performance anxiety and never wind up sharing it. We could get big-headed about it and forget that it is a gift.
I feel that it was given to me to worship with, like the crown I will get to throw down at the feet of Jesus when I get to heaven. It makes me happy to the core of my being every time I get to do that.
So, I'm thankful that I have something I didn't deserve at all, but can use in the most satisfying way.
I'm thankful for The Voice.
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
Now, before you think I'm just pridefully boasting, let explain why I'm saying this.
I think there are a lot of people who have natural musical ability and that's why we have so many children who enjoy band and choir in school and love listening to music. It's why we so enjoy singing together at church. It's why communities support orchestras, musical theater, music festivals. Far more people than not love music.
Then, there is the next category up, which I think gets into the nature/nurture debate. These are the many people who love music, have natural ability, and get good at actually producing it in some way. They receive encouragement from their families, take lessons, hear positive feedback from their friends, and have the discipline to really work hard at their practicing. A lot more people could be in this category than there actually are, in my opinion. As a former music educator, it was always my goal to convince children and their families that most people have at least some ability, and, if it is nurtured, they can have a lot of enjoyment from it their whole life long. I wish every child could have the chance to learn to read music, play an instrument, and sing as well as their voice will allow.
But, having been fortunate enough to have been born into a family that gave much encouragement like this, I got to have one more little thing. You see, in our family each generation seems to produce a person or two with The Voice. My great-grandmother was locally famous for her beautiful voice, the sort of voice that was wanted at weddings, funerals, and public events. My grandmother was the same way. I remember her singing solos in church and around town, and, though she was probably past her prime by the time I heard her, she was good! Then, when the DNA scrambled and created little ol' me, I got The Voice, too. And then it manifested itself in my oldest son.
It's a big, rich, rangy voice. And we didn't do a thing to deserve it. It was installed with our larynx in the womb. Having it doesn't make us better than anyone else. We could squander it by not using it, or ruin it by smoking, or look down on it because it's "more opera than pop". We could cave to performance anxiety and never wind up sharing it. We could get big-headed about it and forget that it is a gift.
I feel that it was given to me to worship with, like the crown I will get to throw down at the feet of Jesus when I get to heaven. It makes me happy to the core of my being every time I get to do that.
So, I'm thankful that I have something I didn't deserve at all, but can use in the most satisfying way.
I'm thankful for The Voice.
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Not Thankful TO God, But Thankful FOR God
From Phillip at The Thinklings
"If I lost my country, my home, my family and life as I know it, God would be enough...because he would have to be. He would be enough because I had nothing else. (Having lost all of my earthly possessions once in a robbery/fire, I speak with some authority on this subject. That was a time when I learned a little better what "dependence on God" really meant.) Israel had to lose everything in order to quit turning to idols. (They never had a problem with idolatry again after the exile.)
With that realization, what's really scary to me about that question now is that I have to rephrase it: "Is God himself enough for me really? Even when I have everything else?"
Even when the guy I like is President?
Even when I live in the greatest nation on earth?
Even when I live in a beautiful home with a nice yard?
Even when I have a great wife and 4 perfect children?
Even when I don't worry where my next meal will come from?
Even when I have all the entertainment and diversion I need?
Is God still enough? Is he really all I need? Am I living like He is, right now when I have so much?"
As a reminder why, in all circumstances, He should be enough:
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
"If I lost my country, my home, my family and life as I know it, God would be enough...because he would have to be. He would be enough because I had nothing else. (Having lost all of my earthly possessions once in a robbery/fire, I speak with some authority on this subject. That was a time when I learned a little better what "dependence on God" really meant.) Israel had to lose everything in order to quit turning to idols. (They never had a problem with idolatry again after the exile.)
With that realization, what's really scary to me about that question now is that I have to rephrase it: "Is God himself enough for me really? Even when I have everything else?"
Even when the guy I like is President?
Even when I live in the greatest nation on earth?
Even when I live in a beautiful home with a nice yard?
Even when I have a great wife and 4 perfect children?
Even when I don't worry where my next meal will come from?
Even when I have all the entertainment and diversion I need?
Is God still enough? Is he really all I need? Am I living like He is, right now when I have so much?"
As a reminder why, in all circumstances, He should be enough:
The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Ancient Wisdom
"Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to
the ground;
on that very day their plans become nothing.
"Blessed is he whose help is in the God of
Jacob,
whose hope is in the the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them-
the Lord, who remains faithful forever."
Psalm 146:3-6
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to
the ground;
on that very day their plans become nothing.
"Blessed is he whose help is in the God of
Jacob,
whose hope is in the the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them-
the Lord, who remains faithful forever."
Psalm 146:3-6
Monday, October 13, 2008
Daniel Style Worship
"Extreme worship is not a manner of praise. It’s not a specific method or a particular tradition. It’s not determined by debating organ music versus contemporary praise. In fact, it has little to do with how we praise God at all. Extreme worship is defined by when and where we worship. When we are drawn to worship during our most stressful times, we practice extreme worship. When we are drawn to sing praise where the opposition is strongest, we practice extreme worship. Like Daniel, we must not allow our circumstances to dictate when and where we worship God. We must be prepared to live out our faith anytime, any place. Are you willing to serve God in extreme worship today?"
From The Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog
From The Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog
Friday, October 3, 2008
Worshipping In Humility
This Sunday, Pastor Randy will begin a short sermon series on the subject of worship. As you can imagine, I'm pretty excited about that!
I have chosen two pieces for the choir. The first, to open the service, has lyrics that remind us that God Himself is with us, and it calls on us to come before Him in humility. This is an expression of God's immanence, that is, His nearness to us.
The second anthem is a real favorite with the choir, and I think it is the third time we've sung it since I came on staff. It's a setting of Psalm 8 called "The Majesty and Glory of Your Name". That psalm, written by the young David as he reflected on the night sky while herding sheep, captures the way the Creation can glorify God and reveal Him to all who see the natural order of the universe. Again, it calls on us to be humble in the presence of God's transcendence over His Creation.
Light pollution prevents most of us from seeing the sky that David saw 3, 000 years ago, with it's millions of stars visible to the naked eye being only a drop in the bucket compared to the vastness of the universe. I found this picture of our own galaxy of stars, the Milky Way, as seen from an Andean mountain top. I thought this might be a close approximation of David's view:
"O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8
I have chosen two pieces for the choir. The first, to open the service, has lyrics that remind us that God Himself is with us, and it calls on us to come before Him in humility. This is an expression of God's immanence, that is, His nearness to us.
The second anthem is a real favorite with the choir, and I think it is the third time we've sung it since I came on staff. It's a setting of Psalm 8 called "The Majesty and Glory of Your Name". That psalm, written by the young David as he reflected on the night sky while herding sheep, captures the way the Creation can glorify God and reveal Him to all who see the natural order of the universe. Again, it calls on us to be humble in the presence of God's transcendence over His Creation.
Light pollution prevents most of us from seeing the sky that David saw 3, 000 years ago, with it's millions of stars visible to the naked eye being only a drop in the bucket compared to the vastness of the universe. I found this picture of our own galaxy of stars, the Milky Way, as seen from an Andean mountain top. I thought this might be a close approximation of David's view:
"O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Getting to Authentic Worship
From Howard Stevenson in "Mastering Worship":
"If a good sermon needs time to develop and drive home a point, so does authentic worship. Worship needs at least fifteen to twenty minutes to build. In our church, we normally devote thirty minutes to worship- congregational singing, special music, and Scripture readings.
In order to devote that kind of time, we strive to eliminate as many nonessentials as possible. We want to give maximum time to worship and congregational singing. We know sermonettes produce Christianettes, and we don't want to find out what shortened worship produces."
"If a good sermon needs time to develop and drive home a point, so does authentic worship. Worship needs at least fifteen to twenty minutes to build. In our church, we normally devote thirty minutes to worship- congregational singing, special music, and Scripture readings.
In order to devote that kind of time, we strive to eliminate as many nonessentials as possible. We want to give maximum time to worship and congregational singing. We know sermonettes produce Christianettes, and we don't want to find out what shortened worship produces."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Heavenly Dance
I love music. I love all kinds of music, whether it was written 500 years ago, or last week. Although it certainly isn't always used to glorify God, I believe that, like many things we misuse, it is a gift to us from God, designed to help us understand him more, and express ourselves to him.
Most of all, I love choral music! I know that's strange to say, because that isn't the kind of music you hear on the radio much, even if you choose to listen to a classical station, but I think the reason I love it is because so many people can do it. It doesn't require much equipment; we all have voices, though some are more blessed than others. It doesn't always require printed music; many can harmonize by ear. It doesn't always require a conductor or an instrumental accompaniment; beautiful songs can be sung without those. But it does require cooperation, agreement, listening, and collaboration to sing harmoniously. It is a communal effort with a common goal- to make a beautiful sound, and express a feeling or thought.
I found a great quote from a man who created a commotion in the world of church music with his emphasis on choral harmonies:
"When man's natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace. A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."
(Martin Luther, 1538, in his foreword to a collection of chorale motets)
Good old Luther! I think he and I would have been friends, had we shared the same moment in history.
Most of all, I love choral music! I know that's strange to say, because that isn't the kind of music you hear on the radio much, even if you choose to listen to a classical station, but I think the reason I love it is because so many people can do it. It doesn't require much equipment; we all have voices, though some are more blessed than others. It doesn't always require printed music; many can harmonize by ear. It doesn't always require a conductor or an instrumental accompaniment; beautiful songs can be sung without those. But it does require cooperation, agreement, listening, and collaboration to sing harmoniously. It is a communal effort with a common goal- to make a beautiful sound, and express a feeling or thought.
I found a great quote from a man who created a commotion in the world of church music with his emphasis on choral harmonies:
"When man's natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace. A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."
(Martin Luther, 1538, in his foreword to a collection of chorale motets)
Good old Luther! I think he and I would have been friends, had we shared the same moment in history.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Finding What You Are Looking For
"The bottom line is, people are hungry for spiritual things. Ultimately, even the world wants the church to be the church and to own up to who we really are....
Everything else- they can get that anywhere. They can pay thirty bucks to go see Letterman or whatever. But what people want today is God. They want to feel God, to know God....There is no substitute for the presence of God, for the anointing. There's none! Absolutely none. When God is making manifest His presence, I've seen the hardest people break down and weep before Him. They say, "I knew there was something to this."
Raphael Green
Everything else- they can get that anywhere. They can pay thirty bucks to go see Letterman or whatever. But what people want today is God. They want to feel God, to know God....There is no substitute for the presence of God, for the anointing. There's none! Absolutely none. When God is making manifest His presence, I've seen the hardest people break down and weep before Him. They say, "I knew there was something to this."
Raphael Green
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
What I Did With My Summer
As you can see, my office has not yet recovered from slow-moving Tropical Storm Joyce. By the end of August I had been swamped with sample music, demo CDs, reams of paper related somehow to worship planning, and a lot of cracker crumbs and coffee spills. If I thought FEMA would get here anytime soon, I would send out a plea for help, but I think I'm on my own for clean-up.Since the choir doesn't meet in the summer, some folks wonder what I do with my time. Here's a little run down:
First off, I worked with 2 different organists, 3 pianists, 2 trumpeters, and 3 violinists in rotation for our musical team for the hymns. I also scheduled various soloists and ensembles for 14 weeks worth of music, using a total of 33 volunteers, ranging in age from 12 to 92. I made sure sound checks and rehearsals occurred for these people, found accompanists for some, music for others, and made something like 2 million phone calls. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it seemed liked 2 million! I also:
1.Created a list of accompanists which can be handed out to all the volunteers when they agree to sing. It includes instructions about sound checks, etc.
2. Listened to many promotional CDs of choral anthems and chose a few to order for the expansion of our music library.
3. Used the full year’s worth of sermon topics Pastor Randy gave me to work with, and selected all the music for the coming year. This involves looking up all the Scripture texts that he has chosen to base the sermons on, thinking about how best to support the theme he is using, and searching through the music library for appropriate pieces.
3. Attended weekly staff meetings, monthly music board meetings, monthly worship planning meetings.
4. Prepared at length for, and met with an individual who was upset about some music related issues
5. Kept board members apprised of various things via e-mail.
6. Spent much time on the phone, with the goal of recruiting some new instrumentalists for the worship team
7. Worked on all the details of the Huntley Brown event.
8. Rehearsed the instrumentalists on the hymns every Wednesday morning .
9. Did conducting preparation for the fall anthems.
10. Made sure that the worship order was forwarded to Jenny Noble each week so that the songs could be typed into the software correctly.
11. Proofed the bulletin weekly, and pushed to have it remain unchanged after Wednesday.
13. Wrote and sent out the recruiting letter and article for the newsletter and bulletin insert.
14. Developed the calendar for the upcoming year.
I also used the two vacation Sundays I had left from last fiscal year, and took two from this fiscal year.
Some years ago we didn't have a music director in the summer. The growth of the church has just made that old way of operating impossible. I find that August, in particular, is very heavy with preparation for the coming choir season. I think the church has been wise in recognizing the need to staff the position in the summer, not just because I have a job then, but because we get such a strong start to the fall this way.
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