Are We Headed For A Crash?
Reflections On The Current State of Evangelical Worship
Reflections On The Current State of Evangelical Worship
an excerpt by St. Augustine from his spiritual Autobiography, "The Confessions"
an excerpt by St. Augustine from his spiritual Autobiography, "The Confessions"
The delights of the ear had more firmly entangled and subdued me; but Thou didst loosen and free me. Now, in those melodies which Thy words breathe soul into, when sung with a sweet and attuned voice, I do a little repose; yet not so as to be held thereby, but that I can disengage myself when I will. But with the words which are their life and whereby they find admission into me, themselves seek in my affections a place of some estimation, and I can scarcely assign them one suitable. For at one time I seem to myself to give them more honour than is seemly, feeling our minds to be more holily and fervently raised unto a flame of devotion, by the holy words themselves when thus sung, than when not; and that the several affections of our spirit, by a sweet variety, have their own proper measures in the voice and singing, by some hidden correspondence wherewith they are stirred up. But this contentment of the flesh, to which the soul must not be given over to be enervated, doth oft beguile me, the sense not so waiting upon reason as patiently to follow her; but having been admitted merely for her sake, it strives even to run before her, and lead her. Thus in these things I unawares sin, but afterwards am aware of it.
At other times, shunning over-anxiously this very deception, I err in too great strictness; and sometimes to that degree, as to wish the whole melody of sweet music which is used to David's Psalter, banished from my ears, and the Church's too; and that mode seems to me safer, which I remember to have been often told me of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, who made the reader of the psalm utter it with so slight inflection of voice, that it was nearer speaking than singing. Yet again, when I remember the tears I shed at the Psalmody of Thy Church, in the beginning of my recovered faith; and how at this time I am moved, not with the singing, but with the things sung, when they are sung with a clear voice and modulation most suitable, I acknowledge the great use of this institution. Thus I fluctuate between peril of pleasure and approved wholesomeness; inclined the rather (though not as pronouncing an irrevocable opinion) to approve of the usage of singing in the church; that so by the delight of the ears the weaker minds may rise to the feeling of devotion. Yet when it befalls me to be more moved with the voice than the words sung, I confess to have sinned penally, and then had rather not hear music. See now my state; weep with me, and weep for me, ye, whoso regulate your feelings within, as that good action ensues. For you who do not act, these things touch not you. But Thou, O Lord my God, hearken; behold, and see, and have mercy and heal me, Thou, in whose presence I have become a problem to myself; and that is my infirmity.
excerpt copied from Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Worship Matters; part 3
What do I "practice" vs. What do I "model"?
Tonight's study came from a book by Bob Kauflin called "Worship Matters".
EDDIE: You keep hitting a B Natural. It's a B flat!!! The B flat is written, so play it! I can't worship when the notes are wrong all the time.
MARY: But I don't read music, I just have to feel it, you know, once I am in the moment, it will be there. The Holy Spirit will be there for me. I'll be prayin'...
EDDIE: But you never feel it. I'm tellin' ya', just play the B flat!
MARY: You need to relax. I think you are taking this way too seriously.
EDDIE: I don't think you are taking this seriously enough.
So what is your take on Eddie and Mary? Mary is unprepared making repeated and noticeable mistakes but wants the Holy Spirit to shine through her. Eddie values practice and right pitches but is harsh (with a vengeance) in delivering his point to Mary.
So, we need to do a good job with the tasks that are put before us and at the same time we must model Christ in what we do so that people see Him rather than us. This is easy to say...easy to type...but... if only Judy would stop singing the wrong notes in my ear... :)
Let us "set an example to the congregation in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity..." (I Tim. 4:12) and at the same time, lets perform our ministries with "undistracting excellence" (J. Piper) by fulfilling the ministry God has laid before us via proper preparation and execution.
Good stuff. Big responsibility.
Blessings,
linked from www.doxologyandtheology.com
There are great reminders in this article. His nine points are:
Go to his link to see how he breaks each point down. click here to go to the actual article
click here to view entire article
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