a quick follow-up to a previous entry.
I went to Colville, WA again, exhorted from Philippians 1 (am) & 2 (pm). And once again, it was a encouraging and edifying (and relaxing!) experience for my wife and myself. It was a new and demanding thing for me to do two services, but I felt a greater liberty and better command of the material than I'm used to. Not exactly sure why, but I'm sure not complaining. There's a lot I could rave about...the scenery, the oodles of deer everywhere you turned, or the hospitality. But the thing that I found most significant was the singing in the congregation. Some good voices, some decent, some neither. But they were serious about it, they sang out in joy, in faith, in praise. There was no doubt that these people took that aspect of the service seriously, and used it as an opportunity to glorify the Lord. Not to stumble and mumble through the song just as a way to get to the next item on the bulletin.
I'm firmly convinced that what we do in worship and how we do it says a lot about the God we worship. And yeah, I know you can't put the emphasis on the external, it's the heart hat matters, blah, blah, blah. Whatever. At the end of the day when your belief has to impact how you live. And we're called to sing praises. Therefore we need to sing praises. Not mark time. And you don't do that by running off to the latest and greatest Marantha! tune or Calvary Chapel ditty. You do that by using the words and music in front of you as a channel for your heart. Great singing is an indication of great love of a great God. I'll let you fill in the blanks for yourself what mediocre singing indicates.
Anyway, I found that aspect both a challenge and an inspiration to keep making a joyful noise to the Lord (and, am I ever so glad it's a joyful noise, not a beautiful sound I'm supposed to make!)
Should also note along these lines, I'm set for pulpit supply again. This time in the URC church here in Nampa on Oct. 30. Should be very interesting. Colville is at least OPC, I know the pastor, had a pretty good idea what the church and service would "feel" like. The URC is a foreign body really, in a way, tho' it'll be a shorter drive than the one to my home church, I'm probably going to feel further away than I did in Washington. Still, looking forward to it. Probably going to dust off something I've already done, rework it a bit, and see if I get better with practice :) (I'm honestly not holding out much hope for that)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Last Weekend
Posted by Hobster at 15:04
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10 comments:
we're translating Philippians right now. Good book.
I'm glad your preaching went well d00d
RE: the "not looking at the external comment." And yet. The external influences the internal. If the tune is frustratingly difficult to navigate, it's hard to sing with a humble, joyful heart. And why do the people who appreciate well-sung songs always get the bad rap!?
just for the record, nothing nasty was said in the deleted comment...Rusty just noticed that he stuttered and said the same thing twice :)
girlfriday--"why do the people who appreciate well-sung songs always get the bad rap!?" Pietism, people speaking from laziness, people with a twisted idea that simplicity in worship must equal dullness or ametuer. Probably more to that, but that's off the top of my head.
"The external influences the internal. If the tune is frustratingly difficult to navigate, it's hard to sing with a humble, joyful heart." There's something there to think on more...maybe I'll continue to develop this thought and come up with something more here. Yeah, the external influences the internal. But that can be overcome with simple preparation. On the flip side, tunes too simple can drive worship to the doldrums.
And not to make light of that, because you have a point, I assure you that tunes we sang out of their other hymnal are far more complicated than the worst of the 2nd edition Trinity Hymnal.
I don't think I'd want to argue for a middle ground (as if such a thing could ever be devised) on tune difficulty--maybe just a healthy mixture.
Wow you're smart.
There IS middle ground I think. Let the people have a hymn-sing once a month. Or keep up the Hymn of the Month business even if the tune is a dirge.
Singing isn't the end-all-be all, but I think it's easy to spiritualize what is just a well-informed opinion of why a church ought to sing certain songs even if it kills them!
I know there's a Bible verse that requires the singing of Irish jigs and Russian death marches. I'm just sure of it.
Smart? Heh. I know a lot more now than I did the last time I considered myself that. One of those things I know best is how un-smart I am.
I was referring to a middle-ground in tune difficulty. Still don't think such really exists, but what I know about music wouldn't fill up this comment window.
And as I'm pretty sure the rest isn't directed to me or anything I'd put forth, I'll just leave it lay.
I see. That makes sense. What is easy for a 25-year old Geneva graduate whose been singing in choirs since he was 2 is hard for the rest of us.
My snide remark at the end (sorry) is unpolite way of making the point that lots of good Christian people disagree on what can and can't be sung in church without a lot of biblical evidence on either side.
as for what can/can't be sung...that's a can of worms I'm not prepared to open up. Especially since other people read this thing :) But I'd say that really should be framed in terms of appropriateness and should/shouldn't rather than can/can't.
Now, I think we've strayed from the point I was getting at--which one might think is fine, if one thought it was misguided. But I don't. A. W. Pink (as I read today) wrote, "Worship is a redeemed heart occupied with God, expressing itself in adoration and thanksgiving." Now, that expression might come out a bit mangled or banged up the first time or two through a hymn (especially a tough one). But it shouldn't come out mumbled or murmured. (And with a minimal amount of effort that mangling can be overcome)
If the bride says "I do" in a dull monotone, or repeats the vows as if she's bored, or just going through the motions; the groom's going to start to think maybe the money he spent to rent the tuxedo could've been better applied to beer and nachos while watching the game with his pals.
Maybe the dull monotone thing is my problem.
Good points all. Back to trying to worship from the heart.
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