Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD; it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth.
(Psalm 33:1-5 NLT)
Last Sunday when we traveled to celebrate my dad’s birthday, I played keyboard for my parents’ church. This congregation is over 100 years old and has seen many generations of people come and go, but they basically haven’t sung any songs written more recently than 1985. (Their hymnal was published in 1986.) As our family is part of a congregation that rarely does songs older than 2017, there’s a bit of a culture shock to visiting Grandma & Grandpa’s church. After consulting with the church’s pastor, I chose the congregational hymns for the day, and we agreed to include not only some that were my Dad’s favorites, but some that were unfamiliar to the congregation as a whole.
It would be unwise to “shock” any congregation with all new-to-them songs. Our individual and corporate spiritual lives are heavily influenced by the songs we listen to and sing, and I understand that it is difficult to worship God fully when you don’t know the language or songs of that particular congregation. (If you aren’t Greek Orthodox, what would it be like to visit a Greek Orthodox church – in Greece – and experience that worship??) I hold no judgement toward one worship style or another. We are told that the Father is seeking worshippers who will worship him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24), so the point of planning worship isn’t an argument about which songs are better to sing, but rather how do we help this particular group of people worship in Spirit and in Truth?
Last Sunday my kids and I had a chance to help that congregation worship in Spirit and in Truth AND to plant seeds about singing New Songs. We did familiar songs like “How Great Thou Art” and “Our God Reigns” with regular keyboard accompaniment. But we did the familiar “Trust and Obey” and “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” with keyboard and the addition of acoustic guitar. For prelude, we did an instrumental version of “Rest on Us,” a new song of invitation to the Holy Spirit, with keyboard, guitar, box drum, and violin. And we demonstrated, and then invited, the congregation to sing a simple, but new-to-them song called “Make Room,” which resonated with the pastor’s sermon about letting go of the past and making space for God’s NEW this year. At the end of the service, I felt we’d done what God brought us to do there. And my dad, a lifelong trumpet player, was so touched by the music he was holding back tears.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:4 ESV)
There is no greater joy than to know that your children are walking with the Lord. But, a close second would be doing meaningful, Kingdom things together. Thank you, God, for this opportunity.
[And Happy 102nd Birthday today to my grandmother who used to play organ for this church.]
Singing God,
For the gifts of Music, Song, your Spirit, and Children, we give you thanks. Help each of us, no matter our individual family circumstances or our congregation’s culture, to be worshippers in Spirit and in Truth each time we gather together. Help us to be willing to sing new songs that help us grow in our relationships with you. Holy Spirit, come rest on us and make room within us so we are willing and able to go and do and be who you call us. We ask in the sweet name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.
The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24 NLT)
The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)