Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Another Lighter 'Note'

This is probably more important an issue than these folks make it, but I would like to see more of this kind of thing.


Now, in my church we don't have a praise band, and I am thankful for that.  There is nothing wrong with a praise band per say, but my preference is for hymns and psalms.  I am definitely not opposed to new hymns, but I would certainly want to stay away from the emotionally driven, repeated choruses that for many are the only way to 'tap-in' to the Holy Spirit... That being said... These guys do a great thing... the music falls apart, and they stop playing...  They don't trudge through it, trying to make something happen that is clearly not working.  But they stop, they reset and do it with the excellence that God deserves for His worship.

Now, again, we don't have a praise band - but if we are singing a hymn that few people know, or the accompanist is going to slow or too fast, why can't we stop and do the same?  Switch to a new hymn if it is not making the cut, tell the musicians to slow it down or pick it up - and then just start again.  We should be able to do this without embarrassment or condescension - we are talking about the worship of God.  If it is not all that it can be, should we not take the necessary steps to make it so?

Of course, you have to be judicious about these things - what happened in the above video was clearly a train wreck - nobody could worship or follow with that going on... the pint being you don't stop for every little thing.  But if you are singing a difficult hymn that no one is following and you are trying to open a worship service for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords... stop.  Pick another joyful hymn and start again... it's not about us. It's about God's glory.

Comments?

HT: Pure Church

1 comment:

Molly said...

I love it. No matter who you are, it takes a lot of humility to stop in the middle of something, acknowledge your mistake and genuinely laugh about it. It's so real, that type of worship group appeals to me in a big way, no matter what they're singing!