Biblical Worship

This semester at Southern Seminary I had the privilege to work with 34 music and worship students in a class called “Leading Worship.”  As I reflect back on the class I must say I am greatly encouraged by the skill and passion of these young worship leaders.  Students were given opportunities to plan and lead the class in musical worship.  As they were leading worship for the class they were critiqued and video recorded for evaluation.

We discussed the importance of a worship leader’s daily walk with the Lord.  We stressed the significance of their time in the Scriptures and prayer throughout the week.  We talked on more than one occassion about the need for private worship throughout the week in preparation to lead the Body of Christ in corporate worship on Sundays.  The heart of the worship leader must be passionate in his response to the Gospel.  It is impossible for the worship leader to lead a congregation to a place he has not been.

Realizing the importance of the private devotional life and daily walk of the worship leader, we also realize that a person who is doing well in these areas can also be a poor and distracting worship leader for the church on Sundays.  If a worship leader comes before the church on Sunday and stumbles on song introductions or transitions, botches a musical entrance or melody, or otherwise seems unorganized,  he can be a great distraction to his congregation in worship.

Students in the worship leading class were evaluated in a number of areas of worship leadership such as:  clear speech that was not too fast or too slow, introductions and transitions  that help the worshiper understand the flow of the musical portion of worship, the use of Scripture to guide the worship time, facial expression, eye contact, effective voice leading, physical gesture of the body or hands, posture, and worship planning that demonstrated the transcendence of our God and Christ-centered worship.

One student commented to me that if the heart of the worship leader is not right, the outward leadership qualities no matter how strong do not matter.  I agree with this statement, but I also believe that a worship leader whose heart is passionate for the Lord and does not pay attention to the outward leadership qualities in worship leadership can be also be an ineffective worship leader.

Worship leadership  that is professional-looking and does not exude a passion for Christ in the daily walk of the worship leader is nothing but a show.  A congregation can tell if  their worship leader’s expression is authentic from his heart or if he is just presenting a “slick, showy” musical portion of worship.

Worship Leaders, I challenge you to bring a heart of passion for the Gospel combined with the discipline of worship preparation to your congregation each time you have the privilege to stand before your people and lead them in worship.  Don’t be a distraction to your people with poor preparation or delivery.  Help them see Jesus and His Cross up front and you,  the worship leader, in the background.

A while back I had the opportunity to join with a large group of high school students for a worship service.  The worship songs were great, the preaching was Cross-centered, but the students worshiped in the dark during the musical portion of the service.  The room was mostly dark except for the stage area where the worship band played.  It was so dark that I really could not see the person standing right next to me. During the musical portion of the service some students seemed to be participating but others were standing and watching the worship band as if it were a concert.

A number of worship leaders seem to value a dark worship area, but I really think this type of setting is detrimental to corporate worship.  First of all, as I recall there is a lot of talk in the Bible about God being light and in Him there is no darkness.  Jesus is the True Light according to John 1 who enlightens every man.  We are also instructed to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light.  If this is so, why do we want to worship in darkness?  Perhaps the early church worshiped in darkness or low-lighting to escape persecution, but today for most Christians in America this is not the case. 

We describe a group of believers gathered for worship as “corporate worship,” something we do together.  We join as the body of Christ and worship the One True and Living God.  When the Epistles talk about the Body of Christ gathered, one of the main points often emphasized is that these gatherings must be edifying to the believers.  We are to encourage one another as we worship.  We are to build up one another as we worship.  Corporate worship is a group effort. 

Much of corporate worship today seems to be more focused on the individual’s ‘experience’ in worship.  It is almost as if there is a large of group of believers in a service all worshiping God individually but not corporately.  This is evidenced when the worship space is dark and people can not see the person next to them.  This also happens when people worship with their eyes closed as if they were the only ones in the room.

I am not concerned about people who occasionally close their eyes during a worship song, but I am concerned when most of the service believers worship as individuals and not the corporate body of Christ.

Let there be ‘ambiance’ if that is what we are attempting to do with low-lighting in the worship service, but let the lighting not be so low that we can not see each another.  The gathered body of Christ should encourage, edify and join together in one voice and mind worshiping our great Lord because He is the Light of the World!

St. Nicholas Church, Berlin

In the book The Story of Christian Music(Fortress Press, 1992, ISBN 0-8006-3474-8), author Andrew Wilson-Dickson shares an eyewitness account written by deacon Paul Gerhardt, of a Christmas morning worship service at the Nikolaikirke (St. Nicholas Church) in Berlin in 1659.  The Nikolaikirke is one of Berlin’s oldest churches dating back to the thirteenth century.  Here’s a glimpse into a Christmas worship service from three hundred years ago:

The church is cold. Candles are being lighted. The people are coming and taking their places.  A group of schoolboys is at one side of the gallery and a choir of mixed voices at the other side.  Below the pulpit we see a Collegium Musicum, a voluntary musical society composed of tradesmen and craftsmen, who perform on violins and woodwind instruments, gathered around a small moveable organ.  Then there is a male quartet, also a military band with trumpets, kettledrums and drums.

After the organ prelude a chorale [Lutheran Hymn] is sung . . . Now three clergymen with white clergymen’s bands and black robes have appeared at the altar.  The entire liturgy is sung in Latin [the use of Latin or German varied from place to place]  by the choirs and the schoolchildren.  Next a college student, dressed as an angel with large white wings, sings from the pulpit an Old Testament prophecy, accompanied by the Collegium Musicum below.

More chanting from the altar, and then the principal door of the church opens, and in comes a procession of girls, headed by the teacher, all dressed as angels.  They proceed to the high altar, where the teacher sings from the first verse of “Vom Himmel hock”[From Heaven Above], and the second verse is sung by the girls in two-part counterpoint.  The third verse is taken by the organ and the choir in the gallery as a beautiful five-part motet.  While the procession has been marching down the aisle, one of the ministers chants a “Gloria” answered by the electoral court-and-field of trumpeters with fanfares and drumrolls.

After the sermon there is more chanting by the liturgist, and the instrumentalists play a boisterous “Te Deum” [To God]. Then follows another Latin anthem by the school children.

Things now begin to happen in the organ loft: over the railing is raised a cradle with a doll, while some boys with incessant mooing imitate the animals in the Bethlehem stable.  The choir and congregation sing a hymn, and at this point high up on the organ facade a Bethlehem star, illuminated  and supplied with small bells, is turned round and round, operated by an organ stop.  Three wooden images, representing the three Wise Men, with their traditional attributes, solemnly move forward and bow before the doll in the cradle.  At the same time we notice two puppets, representing Moors, standing on each side of the central group.  One blows a trumpet, and the other beats a drum.  Throughout this scene on the gallery railing the Collegium Musicum plays a ritornello [an instrumental refrain].

A boy soprano intones “In Dulci Jubilo” [Good Christian Men, Rejoice], which is continued by male voices, accompanied by shawms, and bombards.  The song is scarcely over before a sight exceedingly beloved of the children appears in the centre aisle.  It is old Father Christmas himself in his white beard, with pointed cap on his head and a large sack on his back, soon surrounded by ‘angels’ and children, who vie with each other for the good things that are to be given out.  When the large sack is empty and Old Father Christmas has disappeared behind the sacristy door, then is sung as the closing chorale “Puer natue est Bethlehem” [A Child is Born in Bethlehem]. 

quoted from The Story of Christian Music, page 89.

In your celebrations this year, be grateful for the coming of Jesus Christ.  He no longer is the babe in the manger, but our triumphant Lord and Savior who has conquered death and the grave.  Hallelujah!

As one studies historical worship practice in the church, music has most often played a major role in the worship of the church. It is also interesting that the ongoing discussion of what type or style of music is appropriate for corporate worship is really not a new discussion. Since the New Testament does not give much instruction on the role of music in worship, worship planners must wisely decide how music will be used in the corporate worship of the church. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16 about the use of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in gatherings of believers. We see that these worship songs should have a “teaching and admonishing” aspect. I Corinthians 14:26 mentions that psalm singing should be a part of the gathering and that all things should edify as the church is worshiping together. There is a strong case for congregational singing found in these passages.

Is there a biblical basis for “special music” in the corporate worship of the church? (When I say special music, I am referring to music performed by a soloist or group of musicians in worship for the congregation.) Most writers on this topic usually point to the Old Testament worship practices of the Tabernacle and Temple when skilled Levite musicians both vocalists and instrumentalists performed music as part of the worship.

One fascinating passage describing “special music” in the Old Testament is II Chronicles 5:11-14. King Solomon has completed the building of the Temple and the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Temple. These verses describe the musical scene:

“and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praise the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”

Here we have the Levitical music directors, orchestra (trumpeters), and choir (Levitical singers) joining together to praise the Lord. There are many other examples like this that describe musical worship in the Tabernacle or Temple (I Chronicles 6:31-32, 9:33, 16:4-36, 25: 107, II Chronicles 7:6, 29:28). We also have a hymnbook (Psalms) that was written for corporate and private worship.

The Reformers had different views on the use of music in worship. Martin Luther encouraged the use of all kinds of music in the worship of the church, wrote some hymns to be used in worship (A Mighty Fortress is Our God), and published hymnbooks. John Calvin restricted the use of music in worship by allowing only unaccompanied, unison psalm singing in worship. He felt that music should be simple, undistracting and should only use the words of Scripture for text. Another reformer Ulrich Zwingli decided to not have any music in the corporate worship times of the church he pastored. He felt music was too distracting to worship and even dismantled the pipe organ in his church.

I personally do not have a problem with “special music” in worship.  However, I do think there is better support in Scripture for choirs, and instrumental groups than solo performances. At least when a church uses choirs and instrumental groups a good number of church members can participate in the worship leadership. Most of the musical worship time in the worship service needs to be reserved for the whole congregation. Congregational singing is one wonderful way to help the congregation to be actively involved in the worship.

Obviously, a whole book could be written on this topic. Music in worship can enhance the worship time or distract when it takes the attention off of the Lord. It must always be about His Glory. I like how Ron Owens in his book Return to Worship (Broadman and Holman, 1999, ISBN 0-8054-1888-1, p.5-6) describes the role of music in worship:

“As wonderful and important as music is, the truth is we don’t have to have music to worship…It is my conviction that in much of the Western Church today, music has become overly important. To many, worship is music and music is worship, and many worship music.”

Lord, forbid that our worship music would ever become an idol in our worship. As we discern the role of music in corporate worship, let us first of all seek to be biblical in our approach. Secondly, let us seek for the edification and unity of the body of Christ. My prayer is that we would never allow a church to be divided over the issue of the role of music in worship.

Two Upcoming Worship Events at Southern Seminary and Boyce College:

Worship Leadership Workshop with Mary McDonald

Monday, Oct.12, Heeren Hall.  All sessions are free and there will be free choral music at the last two sessions.

10:30 - Writing and Publishing Music for the Church

12:30 - A Music Ministry Journey

3:00 - A Choral Music Reading Session

Boyce College Heart of Worship Conference, Oct. 23-24

For Middle School and High School Students

more information at www.boycecollege.com/heartofworship

Many Bible-believing churches today stand firm on the principles of God’s Word, yet in their gatherings there is not much Scripture read in the service.  Often songs are sung that are vaguely biblical.  Sermons are preached where the pastor reads a verse or two of Scripture and never returns to the Scripture the rest of the sermon.  In fact, many people no longer even bring their Bibles to church.  They have to trust the church leadership and video projections to tell them what the Bible says.  If  we say we are people of “the book,” then we should let the Bible be the main guide in worship.  Scripture should have a prominent place in our services.

How can we be sure of being faithful to the Scripture in our worship services?  Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Look to Scripture for instruction in what we are to do when we gather for worship.  Study passages like I Corinthians 14 that gives us wisdom on Christian gatherings.  Look to Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19 for guidance on selecting songs for worship.   I Timothy 4:13 and 2 Timothy 4:1-4 help us to understand the priority of reading  the Scripture and Preaching.  The list could go on . . . but the principle is to let the Scripture have top priority in our planning and leading of worship.

2.  Use biblical principles when selecting music for worship.  Is the song text theologically sound?  Is there a balance of simple songs of praise and songs that teach the doctrines of the faith?  Does the text express the deep truths of the Bible in language that is clearly understood by your congregation?

3.  Employ Scripture reading in the worship time as much as possible.  Passages like Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:14-15 and Matthew 7:24 emphasize to us the importance of allowing the Word of God speak to us in our gatherings.  Worship leader,  let our words be few so that  the Word of God has its place in worship.

4.  Preach expository sermons.  Unpack the Word of God phrase by phrase, verse by verse for the Body of Christ.  Challenge both the heart and mind.  Preach from the Old and New Testaments.  Teach the great doctrines of our faith.

5.  Incorporate Scripture in our prayers.  Pray biblical prayers.  Study the pattern of biblical prayers in the Scripture.  Memorize Scripture so you can incorporate the Word of God in your corporate prayers. 

Our worship services should be rooted in the Scriptures.  Scripture should saturate our singing, praying, and preaching.  It should be the guide to our worship planning.  In other words in our corporate worship we should:

Read the Scripture,

Sing the Scripture,

Pray the Scripture,

Meditate upon the Scripture, and

Preach the Scripture.

Worship Leader, I challenge you to let the Word of God have its proper place in your worship planning and leading.  Let your people hear more of God’s Word than your words.  God’s Word will not return void.

Resources

Selecting Songs for Worship http://www.biblicalworship.com/?p=315

Sola Scripture and the Worship Service  http://www.biblicalworship.com/?p=374

Recommended Books  http://www.biblicalworship.com/?page_id=197