30 Januar 2013
Why Are We Singing This Song?
Music in worship should be worth the time we give it.
I often find myself participating in a worship service wondering, "Why are we singing this song?" Sometimes I find the music setting poorly designed and unable to convey the meaning of the lyrics. However, it is more often true that I find a particular lyric lacking in both intellectual and spiritual nurture.
We musicians need to ask ourselves, "Why does this song belong in our worship service?" We are not filling time and we are surely not trying to entertain. We are trying to make an impression, a lasting and meaningful spiritual impression. If a song is not on theme, why include it? If the lyrics are great and the tune is unsingable for the average congregant, why not get a new tune so people can focus on the meaning of the words or, better yet, choose a well-constructed song? If the songs we choose do not purposely gather, inspire, exhort, or send us forth with passion, why aren't we using some that do?
Worship songs on any given Sunday should help us speak to God, proclaim great truth, and hear what God is saying to us. They should also help us desire and choose anew to be servants of God and servants of others. Why else give any song four minutes in a worship service?