Church Music while on pause
Never a frequent blogger, but still here on occasion. I have been quiet recentlly as I work through and reflect on the next step in the vocational journey. This has been important I think, as the step will be quite a big one which will expose me to a lot of conversations, questions and soul-searching, over many months. I need to be ready, although it may be that being ready is not really possible!
In the meantime, I'd like to share an editorial written for our church magazine in March.
Church Music
As part of the LMT and the choir, it seemed appropriate to write an editorial about something which is close to my heart: Church music, in particular, the music we enjoy in our parish churches, its history and its impact on us as Christians.
The music we use has a long history. It’s unclear exactly when the first Psalms were written, but it’s thought that some date back as far as the 10th Century BC. Authorship is not certain and even though many are described as the Psalms of David, even this is not absolutely definite. What we do know however, is how the Psalms and Canticles still speak to us today, expressing a full range of emotion and faith. The whole book of Psalms is a poetic form used to worship God; it’s a rich collection which offers praise, reflection, sadness, comfort and sometimes just sheer joy. For example, Psalm 23 is always a great comfort; “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.”
In today’s Christian churches the use of hymns is widespread and has been for centuries. Hymns were certainly sung at the time of Jesus. The Gospels of Mark and Matthew recall that the disciples sang a hymn after the last supper before going to the Mount of Olives. Then Paul and Silas sang hymns before they were broken out of prison (Acts. 16:25-28). There is a rich, diverse history of worship music which has, until the twentieth century, led the way in the development of new forms of music. So today, the range of music in a Parish church can be very wide, from plainsong, traditional hymns and harmonic choral anthems to Taize, worship songs, Christian rock and pop music. All these styles have a place and each can speak to us in different ways, depending on the type of worship. We can be certain that worship wouldn’t be same without music. It has the power to lift us, touch our hearts and speak to us in ways that words alone sometimes just can’t.
The words of St Paul to the new Christian community in Ephesus are as true today as they were then, “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19)
What is particularly potent is how the words of a hymn can so easily be a prayer. The great hymn writers of the 17th and 18th century wrote verses which were so poetic, lyrical and deeply spiritual that they speak to us now both musically, when we sing them together and also in the stillness of our hearts in prayer. I would like to share this verse with you, written in 1884. Slowly reflect on the words and maybe they will speak to you as a way to approach God in Lent, aspiring to holiness.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In deeper reverence, praise. (Words: John Whittier, Tune: Repton by Hubert Parry)
With Blessings for Lent.
Local Ministry Team
In the meantime, I'd like to share an editorial written for our church magazine in March.
Church Music
As part of the LMT and the choir, it seemed appropriate to write an editorial about something which is close to my heart: Church music, in particular, the music we enjoy in our parish churches, its history and its impact on us as Christians.
The music we use has a long history. It’s unclear exactly when the first Psalms were written, but it’s thought that some date back as far as the 10th Century BC. Authorship is not certain and even though many are described as the Psalms of David, even this is not absolutely definite. What we do know however, is how the Psalms and Canticles still speak to us today, expressing a full range of emotion and faith. The whole book of Psalms is a poetic form used to worship God; it’s a rich collection which offers praise, reflection, sadness, comfort and sometimes just sheer joy. For example, Psalm 23 is always a great comfort; “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.”
In today’s Christian churches the use of hymns is widespread and has been for centuries. Hymns were certainly sung at the time of Jesus. The Gospels of Mark and Matthew recall that the disciples sang a hymn after the last supper before going to the Mount of Olives. Then Paul and Silas sang hymns before they were broken out of prison (Acts. 16:25-28). There is a rich, diverse history of worship music which has, until the twentieth century, led the way in the development of new forms of music. So today, the range of music in a Parish church can be very wide, from plainsong, traditional hymns and harmonic choral anthems to Taize, worship songs, Christian rock and pop music. All these styles have a place and each can speak to us in different ways, depending on the type of worship. We can be certain that worship wouldn’t be same without music. It has the power to lift us, touch our hearts and speak to us in ways that words alone sometimes just can’t.
The words of St Paul to the new Christian community in Ephesus are as true today as they were then, “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19)
What is particularly potent is how the words of a hymn can so easily be a prayer. The great hymn writers of the 17th and 18th century wrote verses which were so poetic, lyrical and deeply spiritual that they speak to us now both musically, when we sing them together and also in the stillness of our hearts in prayer. I would like to share this verse with you, written in 1884. Slowly reflect on the words and maybe they will speak to you as a way to approach God in Lent, aspiring to holiness.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In deeper reverence, praise. (Words: John Whittier, Tune: Repton by Hubert Parry)
With Blessings for Lent.
Local Ministry Team
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