Whatever you do, don't get trapped into thinking that music is the only component of worship. It's not. It's vital, but it's not all there is. There's prayer, there's Communion (or the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist), there's the Offering (a beautiful visual representation of the giving of our lives as well as our treasure), there's the Greeting (another biblical concept), and of course, there's the reading of scripture – the main point behind this, and last week's blog posts.
Now, having said all that, let me remind you of just how important it is that scripture be a main ingredient in the music we sing. And not only that, but let me remind you of just how important it is that our choirs and congregations realize how much scripture is involved in the music they sing. When everybody understands this, then there's a confidence and assurance that what we're singing isn't based on human opinions or personal preferences, but on what's eternal, authoritative, divine.
Sometimes we play a little game in our choir. I'll challenge the singers to discover and report where a particular title, phrase or image in a song comes from in the Bible. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not so much. All in all, it gets us looking at how one concept from scripture is related to another. And it's really a fun exercise, driving all of us to dig a little deeper.
But what about secular songs in corporate worship? This can be a touchy subject, I know, but it's probably worth considering what it is that, in our mind, makes a song “secular.” The lyrics? The chord progression? The songwriter? The original recording artist? We don't make a regular practice of this, but last week our pastor (also a seminary professor and pretty impressive singer himself) sang, as part of his message, the old '60s hit, He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother) and it worked beautifully as a creative illustration relating to the story of the Good Samaritan. No direct scripture quotes in it, but it's chock full of scriptural allusion.
The fortunate fall-out in scripture-based music is that it lends to us, as worship leaders, a natural source to base spoken introductions and segues on. It's important that, when you're speaking publicly, you actually have something to say; something encouraging, something motivating, something true.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 NIV)