Worship music should be good, but not too good

A post over at Semper Reformanda has got me thinking about the quality of worship music again. I have always been of the opinion that part of what glorifies God in worship is not only the words being sung, but also the skill with which the songs are played (ie David's exhortation to "play skillfully before the Lord").  God is glorified when we know how to make good music, no question.  But how good can worship music really be?

The fact is that worship music has limitations, and these limitations are a blessing.  For instance, good worship songs are singable and easy for people to learn quickly. The songs are both immediate and universal so that the singer can take what is being sung and use it to edify themselves and build up the Church. This leaves little room for performance because the worship leader must automatically ask introspective questions like "is this helpful"  "is it distracting" "why exactly are we doing this."  These questions need not be asked for non-church musicians because the easy answer is that they are trying to make the most impressive sounds possible...and for that we are thankful, because we all like good sounds.

When it comes to the church though, people are looking for edification, solidarity with believers, and something different. No church that I know of can provide entertainment like going to a Decemberists concert.  Most people/churches that try to mix really good, entertaining music with church music usually end up on the CCM charts and ruin both genres.  But the point is that people increasingly are not looking for that kind of entertainment in churches.  There is a general disenchantment with churches that have faux worship that is trying to appeal to the masses.

Even if its less good, or hardly good at all, people will appreciate a genuine attempt at meaty worship music.  We should produce music that is relevant and regional.  We should spend time on the best chord progressions, interludes, key changes and even solos.  But, overall, we should try to produce good music insofar as it helps people open their mouths, engage their minds and incline their hearts. 

For those of us who love hymns

I have added some links to some great worship resources.  Check them out under my new "Worship Resources" category on the side.  Here are some brief explanations.

Cardiphonia: This is the worship site of modern hymn writer/re-writer Nathan Partain. Nathan is the Pastor of Worship and the Arts (an awesome job title if you ask me) at Redeemer Church in Indianapolis.  This site has lots of new hymns written by Nathan and others and has a lot of audio, lyrics, and lead sheets.  

Cyber hymnal: This is really cool (albeit nerdy).  This site has over 6,000 hymn titles.  On most of the songs they have the melody playing when you click on the title and info on the author as well as the composer of the melody.  Its kind of an outdated site...but its huge.

Semper Reformanda Records: This is the site of Brian Thomas, a worship leader at Kaleo Church in Seattle.  I like reading his blog about worship music and the site has some good links and audio.

Isn't worship music cool?  Enjoy.

I will not gaze at glory?

I have been thinking about the words to one of my favorite RUF songs The Sands of Time are Sinking.  I love this song.  It has good words and a catchy folk/bluegrass ballad feel.  But the words of the next to last stanza always have struck me as funny.

The bride eyes not her garments

But her dear Bridegroom's face

I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace

Not at the crown he giveth, but on his pierced hand

The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land

The analogy of the stanza is clear.  In the same way that a bride's garments are secondary to her ability to actually look into the face of her loving husband on her wedding day, so we, when we are in heaven, will have eyes only for our Savior and not for any of the trappings.  I understand the sentiment, but I think that the use of "glory" should be questioned.   Is the glory of God meant as a bit of flare that has the potential to distract us from our "King of Grace."

Perhaps this phrase arose from using "glory" in the sense of the physical paradise of heaven, such as in the phrase "I am heading for glory" (most likely said with a southern accent!) This brings up images of golden streets and jewels and a mighty, unconquerable city.  These images are likely poetic.  But aside from that, the city of heaven is glorious not because of the city itself, but because God's glory shines through it.  Therefore, "glory" is a term that refers to God's presence in heaven, not the actual place. 

I would argue that the glory of God is a distinct and necessary part of God's character.  To look at God's glory is to look at who he is, not merely some extra pizzaz that seems to follow him around wherever he appears.  Moses asks God to "show me Your glory."  God didn't say back to him "don't look at my glory, look at my face!!!"  To look at God's glory is to look at him.

I guess I just don't understand the use of the phrase "I will not gaze at glory".  After all, the song also states "The lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's Land." 

We are "relevant" again

Indelible grace is the group of musicians that started re-writing hymns in Nashville Tennessee. It started very small but, eventually, these songs became the standard worship music for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF).

Recently, Relevant magazine interviewed Igrace worship leader Matthew Smith about the new/old "trends" in worship music. You can read the interview here. Matthew Smith is a great example of the style of worship being promoted by Igrace. Plus, he's just a cool guy (I know because several of us RUFers took him out for steak and beer after one of his concerts). Reformed Christians, especially the younger ones, seem to be catching the eyes of Christian media. Last September, Christianity Today released the article Young, Restless, Reformed. Read here. Both of these highlight the movement of young people toward the old dead guys.

The interest seems to be growing. RUFs all over the country are growing and new ones are being established. The time between the releases of new Igrace albums is becoming shorter (the next one is due this fall). There is a growing need, as Smith points out in his interview, for authenticity in America's twentysomethings.

Our generation, as every generation before it, is somewhat reactionary against our parents conception of experiential Christianity. We have grown sick of the need to just "feel" and experience. We want to grow in knowledge of why we do what we do. Grow in our conviction that Christianity is not just a happy or successful place, nor is it a get out of hell free card. Rather, it is something that is real, tangible, earthy. God is at work within the world he created and his chief goal is not to make us happy. We are part of something bigger than us.

I know it will be a long time before we will hear Poor Sinner Dejected with Fear on "positive, encouraging KLOVE." But lets work for it. We need to address the needs of our generation, and the needs are great.

Another look at CCM

I, like many of the people in my circles, have gagged on the sweet, money making sounds of contemporary Christian music. I get frustrated when I listen to a Christian station. I hear songs that are basically "I" centered and have little or no theological or otherwise Biblical content.

However, I have recently been drawn to what I consider to be a subgroup within CCM. I have a close friend who also serves the Church by leading worship and he recently showed me some incredible music written by popular worship leaders. There are, of course, bands that travel around and basically use our sub-Christian culture to generate profit. But there are also worship leaders that serve at local churches that produce good music. Some examples: David Crowder, Matt Redman, Travis Cottrell.

These guys are solid. I might not like everything that they produce and, stylistically, I might not always approve, but I can't really say that I always approve of Indelible Grace's style either. The main point is that these guys drive me to worship. They make me want to put my heart into leading people in worship. They show me that God is glorified when we work hard to make new arrangements and make our music sound excellent with skillful playing and good production. I'm not ready to say that I like CCM...but I do like worship leaders who are proactive and intentional about worship.