We worship God because God created us to worship him. Worship is at the center of our existence, at the heart of our reason for being. God created us to be his image—an image that would reflect his glory. In fact, the whole creation was brought into existence to reflect the divine glory...
...When the Westminster Shorter Catechism teaches us, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever," it gives witness to this same basic principle; God created us to worship him. . . . Worship must above all serve the glory of God.
Some people today justify worship for any number of other reasons. We are told that we should worship because it brings us happiness. Sometimes worship does make us happy, but not always. We are told that we should worship because it will give us a sense of self-fulfillment. Surely worship does fulfill the purpose of our existence, but we do not worship BECAUSE it brings us self-fulfillment. We are often told that we should worship in order to build family solidarity: "The family that prays together stays together." The priests of the Canaanite fertility religions said much the same thing. All kinds of politicians have insisted on participation in various religious rites in order to develop national unity or ethnic identity. Queen Elizabeth I was not the first or the last who tried to consolidate her realm by insisting that the worship be in some way English. One can always find medicine men and gurus who advocate religious rites for the sake of good health, financial success, or peace of mind. True worship, however, is distinguished from all of these in that it serves, above all, the praise of God's glory.
— Hughes Oliphant Old, WORSHIP: REFORMED ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, Revised and Expanded Edition, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002, pp. 1-2. ISBN 0-664-22579-9.
This short film by Jason van Genderen was shot on a mobile phone with a $57 budget. The movie has just won both the 'People's Choice' and 'Best Film' category at the New York Tropfest short film festival.
Art, as this video demonstrates, can challenge and inspire us in a way where spoken words sometimes fail. It has the ability to winnow its way deep into our souls and whisper into places in our heart that may have become numb due to time and familiarity. We have all experienced a time when art challenged our worldview and made us question our desires and motives.
At the same time, I don't think it's the role of art to always provide concrete answers to the questions that it raises. If so, it runs the risk of becoming overly didactic, thereby losing its artistic value and veering dangerously close to the realm of kitsch. However, images, words and music woven together into a rich tapestry can encourage us to think more, feel more and maybe even act differently in response to difficult issues. That's what good art can do.
I could go on...but I think I'll leave it at that.
Sunday afternoon, I was reading through Bob Kauflin's blog Worship Matters. Bob has been a tremendous influence on my thoughts regarding worship and has had a hand in many of the songs we sing at The Crossing (O Great God, The Lord Is, Out of the Depths). He posted some thoughts on the pros and cons of church Christmas productions which, led to the subject of the role of artistic/technical excellence within the church. This is a subject I want to explore a little bit more in the future but, for now, here is a brief excerpt from Bob's post that was an excellent reminder as to what I should be relying on (after faithful preparation) when making music during corporate worship.
...Our talent and expertise are not what we rely on to draw people to Christ. It’s the gospel, proclaimed and demonstrated through a group of ordinary believers who have an extraordinary Savior. It’s our humility, joy, servanthood, power, integrity, and love, all produced by our relationship with a risen Savior.
As Paul put it, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:2-51 Corinthians 2:2-5 [2]For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. [3]And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, [4]and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5]that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (ESV))
On the right side of this blog, you'll notice I have included lists of films, books, music and websites that have left an indelible mark on my soul, helped cultivate my love for the arts and encouraged me to think and feel more deeply about my faith in Christ.
I hope to take some time and give further insight to my selections but, for now, I wanted to share with you a web resource (found under the "Meditation" header) which my good friend Keith Scherer recommended to me this past summer and has been a tremendous encouragement in prayer over the past 4 months.
If you click on the banner you'll find an excellent resource for meditative prayer using music and Scripture which is provided by the Jesuits in Britain. The great thing is, you can podcast or download an entire week's worth of prayer and take it with you wherever you go.
Here's a description of the podcast...
Each file (one for each day of the work week) is about 10-13 minutes long. It begins with bells as a call to prayer and then moves to an appropriate piece of music to begin to focus on God. After a time a Scripture is read followed (with space) by questions for meditation. The Scripture is read a second time followed by further questions. Finally, after more space the prayer concludes with the Gloria Patri.
Some days are better than others but one of the things I appreciate most about Pray As You Go is that it gives some direction to my prayer times which is especially helpful during seasons when I'm not quite sure what to pray. I also enjoy the opportunity it provides to be still in the Word even in the midst of a crazy day. Here are a couple of sample posts that I have found particularly helpful just in the last few weeks.
Every now and then Pray As You Go will use music from a contemporary band for the meditation. Sometimes it works and and sometimes it doesn't. Usually, those are the podcasts that I personally don't find as satisfying as others. All that said, I find it ironic that the day I encourage you to check out this resource is a day that a somewhat mediocre rock song is used. So, at least for this morning, try one of the samples that I posted above as I think it's a better entré into the series.
Last week, I heard a song on Bob Kauflin's blog, Worship Matters, that I think encapsulates the power of music when combined with the Word. My Soul Finds Rest (Psalm 62) was written by Stuart Townend (In Christ Alone, How Deep the Father's Love For Us) and Aaron Keyes. I was so moved by the song that I wanted to share it with you.
Here are a couple of things that I like about the song.
Take a look at the lyrics here. I think you'll find that they are an excellent interpretation of Psalm 62 and are artistically instructive as to where to fix our eyes in the midst of trial and temptation. In his blog, Kauflin describes the song as a Psalm seen through the lens of what Christ has done in the New Testament.
The following stanza is particularly poetic...
Though riches come and riches go, don't set your heart upon them; the fields of hope in which I sow are harvested in heaven.
...and encourages the struggling soul to persevere in seeking the future grace of a life lived for Christ.
I like how the bridge affirms our Christian heritage by incorporating the chorus to the hymn All Creatures of Our God and King (lyrics 1225, melody 1623). Even though we are singing a new song, the bridge reminds us that generations upon generations have sung praises remembering God's faithfulness through the ages.
Musically, I think the melody is very compelling and plants itself in the heart of the listener making it easy to recall the truth of the lyrics. I also like, as Kauflin points out, how the verse is in 5/4, which is an interesting time signature for a corporate worship song; yet, the melody is still sing-able even for the untrained musician.
Take some time now, maybe stop what you're doing and listen again without any distractions. Read the lyrics as you listen and let the Word of God dwell in richly through the song. I hope you like it as much as I do.
A couple of days ago, I posted a quote from Martin Luther on The Gift of Music. What I like most about this quote, aside from the humor of the ill wishes that he places upon the unappreciative listeners ears, is Luther's passion for the multi-faceted gift of music. God, The Giver, in His grace and compassion has given us a precious gift because...
Music is not only created by God but also, in the making of music, allows His creation to reflect His creativity.
Music when joined together with His Word, can awaken our souls to the truth of the Gospel and encourage us in our faith. There have been countless times where I find myself singing songs like The Lord Is and Before the Throne to remind myself of God’s faithfulness and Christ’s sufficiency when I am struggling with unbelief and sin.
Music can give expression to an incredible range of human experience and emotion while helping us remember how God, in Christ, the Man of Sorrows, stepped into that experience with us meeting all of our needs in His death and resurrection. Luther himself says…
For God has cheered our hearts and minds through His dear Son, whom He gave for us to redeem us from sin, death and the devil. He who believes this earnestly cannot be quiet about it. But he must gladly and willingly sing.
Another thing I like about Luther's quote is that his delight lies first in God (as well as a right understanding of all He is for us in Christ) and then in music. God has given music to us for His glory. I think it is very important to understand the distinction of music being a gift lest we fall into an idolatry of music itself. If we find ourselves unable to engage our hearts with God unless there is music (or even a preferred music style) then we are replacing the gift with the giver. Harold Best tells us, "it is only when being moved by music is coupled to a preceding passion for God that we are truly moved."
The Truth of God, of Jesus the Christ, of the Spirit, is transcendent in its Beauty. This Truth requires deep feeling expressed through poetry, music and singing and not mere mental assent. We are, as Ralph Martin said, “born in song.”
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