2/28/2021
Psalm 47:6 “Sing praises
to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.”
I LOVE contemporary
Christian music. Give my any song by Casting Crowns (or many other artists),
and I go into full-out praise mode no matter where I happen to be. I sometimes
wonder what the people who pass me as I sit in the parking lot at work think while
I sing at the top of my lungs, eyes closed, and hands raised. Maybe, when we
can all finally be closer than six feet from each other without masks on, these
moments of uninhibited praise will open up opportunities for me to share the
Gospel. God has been working with me on my boldness in this area as well.
Sunday mornings, although
very different than a year ago, are so precious to me as well. We are so very
blessed that we can participate in our service virtually, and are thankful for
our pastors, elders, tech people, and everyone else who has made this possible.
It has been such a source of comfort and a true blessing during this difficult
time. A highlight of the service for me is singing worship songs, and I know
how much effort the team of musicians put into this ministry. For this, I am
truly grateful indeed, and am always blessed. I hope that when we finally
return to in-person services, I will continue to be as bold as I have become
praising and worshiping God in my car, in my kitchen, and in my living room
during Sunday Service.
Another kind of faith-based
music I love is the hymn because of its beauty and depth of meaning. In recent
times, most evangelical churches tend towards singing choruses instead of the
old hymns. This has even become a source of contention and disagreement in some
churches, with younger folks leaning towards praise music and more mature
people still wanting hymns on Sunday mornings. To be honest – and it’s probably
because of my age – I straddle these two groups, and would love to see more
blending of the two styles. I would love to see them coexists in our modern services.
Worship songs are powerful indeed, but hymns often feel like a deep prayer when
sung. Praise music is more outwardly focused and high energy in its meditative
repetition, while hymns are more inwardly focused and introspective in their
pacing and composition. Together, for me, they each represent an important element
of the entire worship experience.
This morning was one of
those times I missed the old standards. The end of the service was focused on
our victory being in Jesus, no matter the current circumstances in our lives. This
ending was perfect for the hymn “Oh Victory in Jesus”, and that was what my
soul was craving. Being that we were at home, my husband and I were able put
the service on mute and sing that old hymn together. Ah, was my soul blessed! I
guess you could say that I love any form of music that praises my Savior. So
let’s keep lifting our voices together in praise to our King. Here is an old
one for you from the 1860’s, and it is lovely and profound in its simplicity.
The music in our liturgies can pull me in so quickly and make such an impact on my worship. It's profound and deep and when I was in charge of the children's liturgy and music, I always wanted the kids to choose the music and to really want to sing praises to the Lord. I just feel it ties you deeply to the moment and the word of God. Yet again, your blog awakens something inside of me that I forgot about. Your blog is just for me - I am convinced. But that would be a very selfish thing now wouldn't it??? LOVE YOU LEHANN and thank you again!!!
ReplyDelete