The People Journal

Music as Worship, as response

Posted by: Jim Mondry

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 12:53 am

I appologize, as this post all over the map, but its where I’m at right now with music and worship. I’ve been wondering about posting this for almost a week now, but hopefully it can get some discussion started.

I really struggle with the connection between music and worship. I have this simplified understanding that “Worship of God” should be my response to God, resulting from my understanding of God (or more specifically lack there-of). If I see God as profound, as life changing, I should respond accordingly - yet so often it seems I’m not responding to anything. Music has been a tool used historically, as it is able to reflect an emotional response. So often I struggle, watching music becomming a narcisisstic tool, used to raise one’s own self-worth in front of a congregation (and I’m not innocent of this). The frustrating thing in all of this, is that almost every time I’m fed up with music in churches, I experience something authentic that gives me hope again (thanks Arjun, Sean and Zac).

Not long ago, in my journal, I wrote “Music is my golden calf”. Its one of the few things that has stuck with me. Some days I swear I worship the music more than I worship God. It starts by me focusing on “how deep are the words” followed by “how creative and original the tune is” (acutually its probably in reverse). Soon, all I am focused on is the song itself, missing what the song is pointed to. Somehow I have lost the ability for myself to be lost in the music, as I overly intellectualize all the elements, focusing on the question of if it will create a good worship atmosphere. It’s a funny circular thinking that seems to ruin what its trying to accomplish.

For a long time now, I have understood the role of worship leader (read–person playing the instrument up in front of the congregation) as the person who’s supposed to help the congregation connect with God on a different level. Is that even a realistic goal? Leadership in a church is all about being a servant, so the “Worship leader” is a servant of the congregation. But, how does one select music that will appeal to everyone, that will provide a profound experience, that will help people get beyond the music to connecting with God? I am beginning to wonder if its those goals are somehow wrong, as if I’m trying to make the music out to be more than it is. Then I am struck back to the beginning, wondering how to select music for worship.

One Response to “Music as Worship, as response”

cameronMontgomery Says:
October 28th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Good observations and questions Jim. I believe that there is something intrinsic to music and art that connects us to the sacred, we see the use of both in all types of religions around the world and through time. I would agree with Andrew’s comment to the earlier post that there is often too much of a consumer attitude in the church these days, too many people expecting the elements of the service to serve their personal needs or to bring them a worthwhile experience without any thought to what their part is.

If this is true, we—as leaders—need to find ways to educate and encourage the worshipers, including ourselves, on how to prepare for worship. We need to cultivate in ourselves an openness to the presence of God, and a sense of expectation.

In the most religious traditions in the past and in many still in the present, music as a part of worship is the opposite of inventive or original. It follows centuries, if not, millennia old patterns and styles and is outside of the everyday culture. It is often this sense of ritual and tradition that cultivates an awareness of a world beyond that which we can touch, it moves us into a sacred space. We know that rituals alone do not inspire an experience of the divine; we have too often seen worship practices become meaningless and stale when they are nothing more than ritual.

I think the difference is determined by our attitudes toward the rituals. If we come to them believing they have the power to draw us into an experience of the sacred we have opened ourselves up to that experience. If we, as worshipers, come expecting the music (whatever form it takes) to be an opportunity to experience God’s presence, God will meet us there. We can’t invoke God, but God is constantly trying to meet us in every area of life, and the we are most often the ones getting in the way.

We can experience God’s presence, and a sense of the sacred in any place and time of our daily lives, but worship times are spaces where we set aside time and make a special effort to encounter God both as a group and as individuals.

What does that mean to a music leader in worship? Lead by example, prepare yourself to experience God’s presence through whatever music you choose. Be genuine in your choices and in the way you share them, if you as a leader are seeking to meet God the rest of us will be more likely to be drawn into the experience with you. This is also good advice for myself and others who share in teaching and preaching as well as sharing communion.