Music for Church

This week, since getting back from Word Alive, we've all been struggling with bad colds. The type that make you have to sit down a lot because it's hard to breathe. The bad news is that three of us are leading the singing tomorrow at church. We *are* getting better, but Grace is on the point of losing her voice and I'm a bit croaky. I'm praying that we all get our voices back by tomorrow.

Jamie is leading worship and he and I together have planned a service heavy with music, most of which is not that familiar to the congregation so they will need strong leadership. (Oh dear!) At the rehearsal last night, it became evident that the musicians were struggling a little with the complexity of what we were trying to achieve too. We modified parts of it, and I'm very nervous, but Jamie claims that when it feels like this on the Friday and Saturday, God always helps them pull it all together on the Sunday. I wonder if the congregation ever detect how nervous we are and concerned that it will sound awful and hinder their worship as a result?

The theme, partly prompted by the Bible reading and sermon which are happening, will be confession, acknowledgement of sin, repentance and restoration. In three years at this evangelical baptist church, we've never had a service on this topic before and certainly no music aimed at reflection on the subject. I wonder why that is, since it's such an obviously foundational idea in Christianity.

If we were to ask anyone in church, they would certainly tell us that they are sinners, in need of God's mercy and dependent on Jesus' atoning sacrifice. But our worship and services are not shot through with that idea as much as they are in the Anglican churches we've been part of.

For example, a compulsory element in the Anglican service is the Confession. A time for individual and corporate PUBLIC confession of sin. In general, I mean. It's not expected that people with be specific about it there in the service. But the whole service starts with the public acknowledgement that we are sinners in need of mercy. Before anything else can happen we need to get that off our chests. Repentance comes before worship, before engagement with God's Word, before communion, before fellowship. It's right there in the Liturgy. Even in Anglican churches which have largely dispensed with Liturgy, the Confession always seems to be one element which is retained. I find it extremely helpful for getting myself in the right frame of mind for the rest of the service.

In this Baptist church, they pride themselves on the lack of a Liturgy. But that pride has resulted in the realised potential of forgetting our condition, I think. We tend to approach the throne of the Almighty almost with an air of deserving to be there. As if it's our right to be familiar with God. I can't help feeling this is totally wrong. It's only if and after we have recognised our frailty and need for forgiveness that we are restored into right relationship with God and only then have the right to call on Him or praise Him. I think. I'm still thinking about this.

So, we've designed a service tomorrow which uses music and prayer to bring us into that frame of mind. If we can pull it off, and not make horrible mistakes, I think it could be a powerful time for the people. I know it will be for me. We need God's help to do that, though. I'll let you know how it goes.