Last week, we asked our followers to share what they sang as a congregation on Easter Weekend, which would include Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Here are some of the results from the 107 responses we received.
We hope these survey results will provide you with ideas for next year's Easter Weekend worship gatherings.
Feel free to share your thoughts or song suggestions in the comments below!
]]>Have you ever been a part of a conversation that went like this?
Listener: "Hey, thanks for singing that solo this morning. Your song was a huge blessing."
Singer: (Rather awkwardly) "Oh. Uh, thanks... I mean, uh... No! Praise ye the Lord. All glory be to Him, amen?"
On the one hand, the listener is simply expressing the natural human response of appreciation to someone who has helped them spiritually. On the other hand, the musician is trying to dodge any sense of man-centered focus by awkwardly deflecting praise to God without overtly correcting the one expressing gratitude.
Recently, I was reading a devotional commentary on Colossians in which the author pointed out the way the Apostle Paul expressed thanks to the churches. In Colossians 1:3-5, Paul writes, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints...." Notice that Paul didn't directly address the Colossians by writing, "Hey Colossians, we are so thankful for your faith and love." Instead, he wrote, "We always thank God... for...."
There's a subtle nuance between those two approaches that makes a huge difference. By starting with "I thank God," Paul is expressing his specific appreciation for the Colossian's faith and love while also emphasizing the fact that God is the one responsible for fruit evident in their lives. In another letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, "It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:13).
If Colossians 1:3-5 were a verbal conversation, the Colossians could immediately say after Paul's expression of thanks, "We thank God too, Paul! He deserves all the praise!" There's not a stitch of that awkward, who-gets-the-praise hot potato. More importantly, both parties are reminded that God is ultimately responsible for the grace being manifested in and through our lives. So, when you tell someone "thank you," do it in a way that emphasizes God's work of grace in the life of one who ministered to you.
]]>Listener: "Hey, I thank God for how He used your voice to minister to my heart this morning."
Singer: "Praise God."
Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:11-14).
Verse 14 makes an amazing, yet paradoxical statement: “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” The first half of this verse assures us that we have been made perfect forever by Jesus’ once and only sacrifice. Yet right of the heels of being declared perfect, the author adds “those who are being sanctified.” So are we already perfect or are we being made perfect? The answer is ‘yes.’ Positionally speaking, we are perfectly spotless. God couldn’t be more pleased with you because of Christ. Yet from a day-to-day standpoint, you are being made perfect. Practically speaking, Jesus’ sacrifice is enabling you to daily live out what He has declared you to be. This truth has amazing ramifications that the author of Hebrews expounds in verses 19-23.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).
These verses give us confidence. They destroy guilt and banish fear so that we can draw near to a holy God without shame. On a personal level, I know I’ve been forgiven, but in the back of my mind, there are times I wonder if God truly loves and accepts me. I wonder if He will truly be good to me, especially when I haven’t measured up. In moments like those, we must run to these liberating gospel truths. They assure us that we are perfect in God’s eyes and secure in His love.
Stanza 1 begins with humanity’s brokenness. Before the fall, we were beautiful images of God. But when mankind sinned, the image of God was marred in us. We went from sons and daughters of God to being “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). The chorus begins with a word of contrast, “Yet, here I stand by grace complete.” There’s no way we deserved this grace from God, yet He freely gave it to us.
Stanza 2 introduces Jesus’ gracious initiative to ‘seek and to save that which was lost’ (Isa 53:6, Luke 19:10). He sacrificed His life on the altar in order that “he might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Eph 2:16).
Stanza 3 describes the fruitful life that directly results from Jesus’ sacrifice. This new life is marked by praise: “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Heb 13:15). It’s also marked by a desire to deny worldly temptations (1 Cor 10:13, Heb 4:14-16, 1 Pet 2:10-11). The third chorus begins with, “And I will stand by grace complete.” This statement reminds us that our ongoing battles against sin have been already won. One day, your striving will be over. You will stand complete in Christ!
Stanza 1
I once was broken, marred within,
An image ruined, scarred, and stained.
I had no hope that You'd forgive
The sin that caused Your deepest pain.
Chorus
Yet here I stand by grace complete,
Made faultless through Your precious blood.
And I'll draw near with confidence,
Assured of Your unfailing love.
Stanza 2
You sought me in my wandering
Though I Your love could never earn.
You gave Your life an offering
And bore the wrath that I deserved.
Chorus
And here l stand by grace complete,
Made faultless through Your precious blood.
And I'll draw near with confidence,
Assured of Your unfailing love.
Stanza 3
My voice shall praise You as my King,
My perfect Lamb, and great High Priest.
And when temptations call to me,
I'll claim Your promised victory!
Chorus
And I will stand by grace complete,
Made faultless through Your precious blood.
And I'll draw near with confidence,
Assured of Your unfailing love.
]]>In this approach, the worship leader plans worship gatherings for one year, usually following a trimester schedule of three four-month blocks. The worship leader selects congregational hymns, choir anthems, small ensemble songs, and participating musicians, and then assigns them to each service in a given trimester. Although some valiant worship leaders (may they be blessed above all others of their kind) plan out the entire year using the trimester approach, others plan only 1-2 trimesters in advance while keeping major events like Christmas and Easter in mind. Generally speaking, this approach works well for churches with larger musical infrastructure (i.e. choir, orchestra, Christian school, etc).
Trimester Break Down: JAN-APR, MAY-AUG, and SEPT-DEC.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Although this approach involves a heavy time commitment in initial planning, it requires fewer hours of planning on a weekly basis. Once the questions of “who," "what," and "when” are answered, the rest of the year is focused more on implementation and fine-tuning.
This approach gives a high-level perspective of songs chosen and musicians utilized. For example, it protects us from repeatedly choosing the same songs, ensuring that every song worth singing has a place in at least one of our worship gatherings. It also permits the leader to select musicians that need more 'runway' to prepare a song, instead of choosing only advanced musicians who can be ready at a moment’s notice.
In contrast, this approach's weakness is limited adaptability. I deliberately chose the word ‘adaptability’ over flexibility because a trimester plan can have a certain degree of flex to meet a congregation's specific needs. For example, a funeral can’t be predicted, but when a death occurs, there is flexibility to change a planned upbeat praise service theme to one that is more appropriate for suffering believers. Trimester planning can flex, but it has a limited adaptability to hone the message of every worship gathering. In other words, it’s a less ‘tailored' approach. Perhaps you’ve been to a service in which every song sung, prayer prayed, and comment made supported the proclaimed Word of God? You most likely walked out of the service with a very clear understanding of the Scripture. This type of sharpened, clearly defined worship theme is difficult to repeat using the trimester approach. Why? Well, many pastors don’t know what they will preach until one or two weeks before a scheduled date, and some just days before. A pastor may know his upcoming texts, but he rarely knows exactly what each text’s major thrust will be, though there are some exceptions. The trimester approach is like a 'one-size fits all' that can cover general themes, but it proves difficult to tailor the worship service to the message every Sunday.
In this approach, the worship leader plans gatherings 1-2 months in advance, intentionally tailoring them on a weekly basis to compliment the preacher’s message. For example, imagine a lead pastor preaching through the Gospel of John gives his worship leader his schedule of selected preaching texts (not message themes). The worship leader then examines the texts himself and chooses a theme related to the content 1-2 months in advance. Then, on a weekly basis, the worship leader meets with the lead pastor or pastoral team to specifically hone the upcoming Sunday’s theme. The pastoral staff has taken this approach at my church. On Wednesdays, we meet together as a staff to review the selected songs, scripture readings, etc for the upcoming Sunday's gatherings. (On a side note, there is a huge benefit to planning services as a team, though of course, the worship leader has to do the initial work of framing the service). This approach works well for churches with smaller musical infrastructure.
Strengths & Weaknesses
The major benefit of this approach is that it allows the leader a large amount of freedom to tailor the worship theme to each Sunday's message. This is the primary reason why I recommend this approach. It does, however, have certain drawbacks. It requires continual administrative maintenance to not only plan the upcoming Sunday's gatherings, but also the gatherings 1-2 months out. In addition, it has a limited high-level perspective which can distort song and musician choice. One has to work harder to make sure they are covering a wide variety of songs and using musicians with a diversity of musical talent. Naturally, this approach requires a fairly proficient core group of musicians. Perhaps this is a poor illustration for the musically minded, but think of this approach as a “hurry up offense” in football. The players have to be proficient enough to execute a particular plan on a moment’s notice.
Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13
Singing is a gift. It’s not a talent enjoyed by a select few, but a gift given to every believer. Today, we have a wealth of song texts comprised of psalms and hymns that exist for our spiritual benefit. This collection of songs is a rich inheritance of thought and emotion to which every believer can relate. But simply hearing a song is not sufficient. You must sing, even if you feel like you’re not musically gifted, and here’s why:
Sometimes we experience thoughts and feelings so strongly that we simply can't express them with our own words. In these moments, when life renders us speechless, singing gives us a ‘spiritual vocabulary’ to express the depth of biblical emotions like joy, thankfulness, hope, sorrow, and repentance. God, through means of psalms and biblical hymns, has already given you the words to say.
Perhaps you do know the truth, but you’re having a hard time submitting to it. There have been many times that I’ve told my wife, “I know my thinking and emotions are wrong, but I can’t seem to shake them off.” Even when I’ve tried to pray, I've found myself struggling to express the truth or resorting to fixing my problems instead of yielding to God. But psalms and hymns are like prayers already written out for us. They help us to say what we should say, even if we don’t really want to say it. In other words, singing the truth can help our rebellious hearts submit to God.
"Sometimes we sing because we believe; other times we sing so that we believe." - Kevin Moses
Corporate singing simply maximizes the benefits listed above. Imagine a believer who has recently lost a child or spouse. How much more of an impact will a song like It Is Well have on God’s people with that individual courageously singing in their midst? Or perhaps that suffering believer can’t muster the strength to sing It Is Well because their pain is too great. In times like these, the congregation sings for them (saying the words they can’t presently say) and to them (encouraging them with the truth). See Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:18-19.
Furthermore, God views churches as a whole, and not as a collection of individuals. For example, in the first three chapters of Revelation, God addresses seven churches or groups of believers. Although there may have been individuals in the church of Ephesus who had not “abandoned their first love,” God rebuked the entire church (Rev 2:4). This suggests a corporate accountability to God. What does that have to do with congregational singing? Congregational singing grants the congregation a ‘corporate voice’ to properly express worship and praise, as well as repentance and sorrow to God.
Keep in mind that congregational singing exists on a vertical and horizontal plane. The vertical plain involves our response to God. The horizontal plane involves mutual encouragement between believers.
1. Sing along with every song you hear both privately and publicly. You might just find the words you didn’t know how to express.
2. Sing even when you don’t feel like engaging in worship. That may seem hypocritical, but it’s probably the best thing for you because singing the truth can help lead you to repentance and faith.
3. Heartily participate in your church’s congregational singing. By doing so, your spiritual life will be strengthened, as well as the life of the church.
1. Choose songs with a wide range of biblical emotion and thought. Focusing on one group of emotions, like joy and thankfulness, may limit the church from expressing the necessary responses of repentance and sorrow.
2. Although “service flow” is an important consideration, it should not be the primary governing factor of song choice. Generally speaking, service orders flow from upbeat, positive songs to more meditative songs. But if your theme is about repentance, you may want to start with the more meditative and then move to songs with a positive message of hope in God’s forgiveness.
]]>After selecting a doctrinal body of hymns, ask yourself, "To whom am I ministering and which of these hymns will positively connect with them?" At first glance, this seems easy, but it’s actually hard to do. Why? Well, you carry a lot of bias into your decision making. You naturally gravitate towards songs that speak to your heart and that are familiar to you. Unfortunately, this approach usually creates a singular demographic of preference in the church. But Ephesians 4:1-16 tells us that the church is not supposed to be uniform, but rather, unified, even though it represents a diversity of backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities. So know your people and choose doctrinal songs that positively connect with them.
Thinking about your church body encourages you to surrender your preferences for the building up of the whole body.
Your church represents a diversity of people, so it's important to craft services that reflect the God-given diversity that each individual brings to your church body. The problem is that there are many opposing preferences to worship that create tension, and it's hard to determine a balanced course of action. You might be tempted to concede to please a singular, yet vocal group. Don't concede. Lovingly embrace the diversity in the body of Christ. Teach your church that we are members of one body that must mutually submit to one another and to Christ (Eph 5:18-21; Phil 2:3-4). You can publicly demonstrate this mutual submission by crafting services out of love for everyone present, diverse though they may be.
A preference is "a greater liking for one alternative over another or others," not a biblical mandate. There's a big difference between the two. Preferences are often developed by what is familiar to us in our current context.
1. Submit every song (new & old) to the test of doctrine.
2. Consider your church family: individuals and groups. What combination of songs will minister to the whole?
3. Embrace the tension because it will be there every time you craft a service. Don't run from it or try to control it. Teach your church members to mutually and joyfully submit their preferences in worship for the building up of the gathered body.
So, how can you make your church’s corporate singing more meaningful? It begins with Word-saturated and Spirit-controlled believers. When choosing songs, start with doctrinal truth, then move on to loving others. Ask yourself, “Which songs doctrinally 'say it best’ in a way that connects with my church family?”
What if we invested as much time/thought into arranging congregational music as we do choir anthems, small groups, and solos? We think congregations everywhere would notice and respond positively. In a future post, we will show you a few ways you can stylistically approach congregational singing.
]]>Generally speaking, a worship team is a small group of vocalists and instrumentalists that lead and support congregational singing.
Discipleship is taking what you have learned from faithful mentors and ministers of God’s word, and entrusting it to others who will in turn, teach others also.
Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."Ephesians 5:18-19 - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart."
“A believer who is saturated with the Word and controlled by the Spirit will naturally engage in grace-filled singing."
As we were inundated with scenes of violence and murder in various parts of the country and world, we were also faced with the harsh reality that fellow believers had contrasting views about what was going on. Our Facebook feed lit up with threads of pointed articles, rebukes, frustrations and overwhelming sadness. Thankfully, there were glimmers of hope from some who saw this as an opportunity to speak the comforting truth of the gospel.
Our church is blessed with a diverse congregation. We are located in a suburb of a large metropolitan city, so on Sunday mornings, we are privileged to see a wide range of races and nationalities represented. After the shootings of the week preceding July 10th, I wondered how we were going to address the situation within our own corporate worship. What should it look and feel like within a theologically conservative, but diverse congregation? Should I scrap the service I had already planned? Should we mention the shootings at all? Thankfully, earlier that week, the Lord had directed us to focus on a simple, yet intentional theme for our church body: “Look at Jesus.” I had noticed, that particularly during the summer, it seemed that our worship had become more rote, absent-minded and less engaging. Perhaps, it was the anticipation of the warm afternoons and times outside. Hey, that’s legitimate up here where winter lasts for 6 months! At any rate, whatever the reason for unengaged worshipers, we set out to plan a service that would engage our hearts and put distractions aside.
We began our service with a choir song, “So High the Price,” which immediately focused our attention on Jesus. The congregation then sang a chorus, “Open Our Eyes, Lord,” and afterwards we took the time to greet one another. Then I had the congregation sit down. Yes, that’s right…we sat down! We rarely sit while we sing, but this was different. Our people needed to be still and look to Jesus. We read two passages of Scripture: Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law,” and Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We talked about making sure that our hearts were pure before the Lord as we come before Him and prayed silently for a few moments, asking for God’s mercy, comfort, and help. Then I publically prayed for our nation–that we would recognize that the ultimate problem in our society is sin and that the solution to that problem is our great Savior. The congregation continued to sit, while 3 singers led us in “Be Thou My Vision.” Afterwards, one of the singers read Colossians 1:21-22 (sermon passage) and Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” while the piano and guitar lightly played and transitioned into “Behold Our God.” By the end of “Behold Our God,” it seemed like the congregational singing was going to raise the roof! It was glorious! Tears were being shed and hearts were engaged. For the offertory, we did a rendition of “He Will Hold Me Fast” that starts with a violin solo playing the melody of “Be Still My Soul,” then transitions into the song. The congregation sang along and they were reminded that “when I fear my faith will fail, He will hold me fast.”*
That’s how our church responded to our culture on Sunday, July 10, 2016. We allowed time to speak about the tragedy, the hurt, and even the anger that many people felt. We didn’t ignore the elephant in the room. We took the time to respond as a church – together – focusing our attention on the real need and the real solution, which is Jesus Christ.
1. Be willing to change or adjust your planned service order. When tragedies occur, the church body needs direction from its leaders on how to respond in faith to painful circumstances.
2. Take time to pray corporately about cultural issues. Think through potential responses to the tragedy, and pray that the church would hold fast to good responses and reject responses that are evil.
3. Don’t just mention the problem, but lead your people to the solution – Jesus! Throughout the Old and New Testaments, public worship has always focused on the gospel. The O.T. foretold the sacrifice that Christ would make; the N.T. remembers the sacrifice Christ made. The solution to every problem can be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our public worship should always make Christ the central theme.
One day, Christ will return, and make all things right again. But until then, help your people each week to “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:2)
JAMES BARNARD Worship Pastor Brookside Baptist Church Brookfield, WI |
*He Will Hold Me Fast can be found at http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/resources/music/ The repeating melodic patterns in the verse make it especially easy to learn, and the rich doctrinal truths of eternal security make it unique in its subject matter.
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