Tag Archives: Worship

Scripture and our druthers

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There’s a saying I’ve heard attributed to Dr. Jack Lewis. He was speaking about an individual in the church and said something to the effect of: “He has a hard time differentiating between what the Bible says and his personal preferences.” I don’t know the original context or even the reliability of the attribution, but I’d say that statement sums up a lot of the discussion on church music.

If we want to clap while singing, we can find scriptural support. If we like the way we feel when singing with instruments, we can find biblical evidence as to why they should be used. If we don’t like modern praise songs, we attack their theology. In other words, if you don’t agree with me, you’re disagreeing with God.

If we don’t turn to the Scriptures, we make “objective” statements that support our views. Singing without instruments promotes unity. Singing with instruments attracts non-churched people. Singing too many new songs will cause some of the old-timers to leave. Singing too many old songs will cause the young people to leave. In other words, if you don’t agree with me, you don’t care about people.

We can find scholarly studies that support our views. Anecdotal evidence from growing churches (or dying churches!). We can point to faraway lands where they’ve done what we like and, behold!, their churches have achieved a utopian bliss.

Most of it’s hogwash. It’s a focusing on externals rather than internals. It’s ignoring all that the Bible says about what makes for true worship and what makes for vain worship. If you can’t worship God without an instrument, you can’t worship him with one. If you can’t be edified by singing Isaac Watts, you’ll eventually find that Casting Crowns leaves you cold as well. If people come to your church because of your praise band, they’ll leave when the church down the street has a better one.

Worship is about the heart. And a big sign of a heart not right with God is the unwillingness to consider your brother’s needs ahead of your own, your brother’s preferences instead of your own.

I recently read a quote that said church leaders should aim to have one hundred percent of the people happy eighty percent of the time. If that’s true, we need to be ready to not get our way twenty percent of the time. (And the “stronger brother” should expect to give in more often than that!) Are you ready to not be satisfied one fifth of the time?

It’s time to take the “I feel”s and “I like”s and put them in a drawer. It’s time to seek what’s best for the body as a whole.

(I know “druthers” goes back further, but I picked the word up from the musical L’il Abner. There’s a song called “If I Had My Druthers”)

Singing: All or nothing?

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Wow! If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, don’t bother. Just skip down to the comments section. Some brilliant insights there, plus a sharing of experiences from different viewpoints.

I realize that I’ve embraced the tar baby. I’ve jumped into this with a few things in mind and am now seeing so many more issues that need to be addressed. Some would organize and plan out where they’re going from here; I’ll just keep writing and see where we end up.

One concept that came out in yesterday’s comments was the difference between performance-oriented worship and participative worship. Is it mutual edification or are their gifted people whose role is to edify the rest of the body during the assembly? Is it okay at times to sit and listen or should everyone be a part?

We need to recognize that this is not a black/white issue. There’s an entire spectrum out there. On one end, you have the “high church” model, where many functions in worship can only be performed by people ordained for that task. On the other end, you have the “unprogrammed” meetings of Friends (Quakers — They call this “expectant waiting”). There are congregations where only those approved by the church may lead singing, direct prayers, wait on the table, etc. There are other congregations where everyone is expected to come prepared to do something.

I could go on, but I hope you see what I mean. There aren’t just two approaches to this question, nor three or four. There is a whole gamut of responses. However, we can focus in on one thing: some feel that it is imperative that every member be active in singing or they will not have worshiped.

So here’s another set of questions: should a congregation have the goal of 100% audience participation in singing? Is it sinful to be present and not sing? Should the goal of the church be edification through song, even if that means limiting the participation of some members and emphasizing the participation of others?

Bringing The Ark: Consuming Focus

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There’s one more section I want to bring out in this story. After Michal’s criticism of David, David made a very profound response: “David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’S people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”” (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

David knew who his worship was directed to. He was celebrating before the Lord. He wasn’t trying to impress Michal nor anyone else. He wasn’t seeking their applause nor their approval. What he did, he did before the Lord.

Does that mean we shouldn’t be concerned about those around us when we worship? No, I don’t think we can make that argument. The discussion about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 is all about being aware of those around us and including them in our worship. Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 is based on thinking about those who might observe our worship. And the passages on “the weaker brother” could even come into play.

However, I know that I’ve spent way too much time listening to the Michals of this world, trying to keep them happy. It can’t be done. As the moral of Aesop’s fable of the man, the boy and the donkey says, please all and you will please none. You can’t please everyone.

In the end, I need to focus on the God I’m worshiping and doing what pleases Him. Sometimes that will mean doing certain things for the good of those around me. But other times, it will mean worshiping Him with reckless abandon, unconcerned about the praise of men.

For some time, I subscribed to a discussion list with a number of preachers who would probably consider themselves to be more conservative than I. I felt that hearing their voices and their concerns would help me to keep a bit of balance. (I also subscribed to some lists with some I thought more liberal than I) A few weeks ago, however, I realized that the negativity I was subjecting myself to was doing me more harm than good. It was pulling me away from my focus.

I don’t want to go back. Not just to that group, but to the whole game of trying to dance to the tune others would play. I will seek to edify. I will seek to evangelize. I will not seek to offend, trying to be all things to all men.

But above all, I will serve my God.

Bringing The Ark: Consuming Criticism

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We’ve been looking at 2 Samuel 6, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. We saw the tragedy of Uzzah’s touching the Ark, then looked at David’s acts of praise.

David then acted to bless those around them. He offered sacrifices so that everyone could feast before the Lord. He also provided cakes for everyone that was there. After ministering to the people, he went home to take a blessing to his family.

But not all of his family was ready to be blessed. The text says, “As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.” (2 Samuel 6:16) Ouch. The whole country is celebrating the bringing of the Ark, but Michal can’t join in. She can’t rejoice with them. She can’t worship with them. She looks at her husband as he praises God, and she despises him.

Further down, we read: “When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”” (2 Samuel 6:20) The moment of blessing is wasted. Michal can’t receive the blessing for she is too busy criticizing.

“And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” (2 Samuel 6:23) I find it so very sad. David came to bring her a blessing, but Michal came away with a curse.

Yet even though she was childless, Michal seems to have many descendants. They go to moments of worship and come away talking about what this person did and what that person didn’t do. Michal’s voice echoes even today: “He clapped!” “She raised her hands!” “They didn’t wear the right clothes!”

What’s sad is that a blessing is missed. While some are consumed with praise, others are consumed by criticism. And their faith becomes a sterile faith.

Be quiet Michal! You’ve said more than enough. It’s time to worship God and let others worship.

Bringing The Ark: Consuming Praise

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Yesterday, we looked at the first attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In that effort, no attention was paid to God’s instructions about how to move the Ark. Because of this, Uzzah died when he touched the Ark during the move.

David was angry with God and fearful at the same time. He left the Ark at the home of Obed-Edom. Months later, seeing that God had blessed Obed-Edom during this time, David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem.

I love the description of David’s actions as the Ark was being brought: “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” (2 Samuel 6:14-15)

David laid aside his royal robes and put on common clothes, the clothes of a servant, somewhat similar to what the High Priest would wear when he entered the Holy of Holies. Chronicles tells us that the Levites and musicians wore the same clothes that David wore. They weren’t royal clothes, but they weren’t immodest, either.

I love the description of David’s worship. He worshiped with all his might. When was the last time I could say that? How often do I come away from a time of worship feeling tired?

This wasn’t prescribed worship. God didn’t tell David to dance, nor to surround the Ark with musicians and their instruments. The Israelites weren’t told to shout for joy. All of this was natural, spontaneous worship of God.

Last week, in the comments section, Jay talked about how the church has forgotten how to celebrate, how to truly rejoice. The Old Testament is full of calls to worship God through feasting and rejoicing. None of that changed in the New Testament.

David, the great king, humbled himself and joined in the celebrations with all the people. He worshiped God with all his might. It’s a beautiful image. It’s a beautiful example for us.