Worshipers or Singers?

SongDISCovery is a resource that includes recordings of new music along with lead-sheets, chord charts, and some articles. Though primarily a resource for “contemporary” worship, the articles sometimes focus on issues that transcend narrow (and narrow-minded) style definitions. (Sorry, my soap-box just hopped up under my feet for a moment there).

Shaun Groves is a singer/songwriter about whom I know very little. He’s probably belongs to our Baptist tribe, though. His web site has no biographical info, but Wikipedia says he went to Baylor. He wrote an article for SongDISCovery No. 51 called “From Singers to Servants.” I thought I had already shared this quote in a MUSINGS article, but I couldn’t find it in my files. Groves writes:

I go to church with 5,000 singers. I can’t call us worshipers yet because many of us come to church only to feel better, to be served and hear our favorite songs while our kids are kept in short-handed pre-school classes. And after church on Monday, you won’t catch many of us singers at the retirement home writing letters for hands too bent by age to hold a pen. A few miles north, in East Nashville, you won’t find us playing basketball with a child of another ethnic background, giving his mom a dress or a job. And down the street, few will bring blankets, toothbrushes or a kind word to the rapists and thieves in the county jail. We’re great singers, but, to be honest, some of us are lousy worshipers.
…
“Worship in our English bible is never translated from a Greek or Hebrew word meaning “singing” or “songs.” It comes from words like “shachah” (to bow not only the body but the soul before God in submission – Ps 5:7), or “proskuneo” (to kiss the hand as a symbol of servitude – Jn 4:23). “Worship” means slave labor and menial work for a master when translated from the words “abad” (Ps 2:11) and “latreia” (Ro 12:1). Reverence, submission, bowing, serving, slaving.

My Bible reading this morning included Stephen’s discourse in Acts 7 where he quotes Amos 5:25-27. Go back to Amos 5:21 and read to the end of the chapter. My take on Amos 5 is that if they were in today’s context, they would have the hottest, most happening band or the biggest, best choir one could imagine. And God says He doesn’t want to hear it because their hearts (and actions) are wrong. Isaiah 1 has a similar indictment. That doesn’t mean that we don’t strive for excellence in what we do when we gather here as a worshiping body. It means that if our hearts (and actions) are not right, it doesn’t matter what we sing or how well we sing it.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.

You Belong Here

Remember the sit-com Cheers? The theme song talked about “a place where everybody knows your name … and they’re always glad you came.” Though the intention of the writers of that song may not have intended to illustrate biblical truth, there is some deep of truth in it – truth to which we, the church, should pay attention.

I thought about Cheers as I was listening to Kyle Matthews’ new CD, The Main Event. Yes, I’m still recommending that you go to kylematthews.com and get yourself a copy of the CD. I make no apologies for that. If you know Ken Medema’s music, you can clearly hear his influence in “You Belong Here”.

This is a dream I have: that there might be a place
Where, before I cross the threshold, they recognize my face.
They’ve been expecting me. The table has been set.
My bed’s already made and they speak to me this way:

You are welcome in this family, you are wanted in this place,
You have value to your Maker that your past cannot erase.
There is room for all your searching, there is music for your song.
There are shoulders you can cry on and the strength to carry on.
You belong here. Welcome home.

What am I striving for when this is in my reach?
Could I become the refuge some weary traveler seeks?
And as I let them in will my life not be changed
To give the love I long for and be unafraid to say

You are welcome in this family, you are wanted in this place,
You have value to your Maker that your past cannot erase.
There is room for all your searching, there is music for your song.
There are shoulders you can cry on and the strength to carry on.
You belong here. Welcome home.

I will throw the door wide open, run to meet you at the gate,
There will be a glad reunion, we have much to celebrate.
You belong here. Welcome home.

Do you remember what almost always happened when George Wendt’s character walked in? The whole place shouted, “NORM!” How could you not feel welcome when the whole place greets you like that? I’m not suggesting that we become a bar, but the church needs to be that friendly and welcoming. Jesus said that creating an atmosphere like that will demonstrate to the world that we are indeed His followers.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.

Further Down the Roll Call of Faith

I never finished reading the Bible all the way through last year when we were engaged in that exercise as a church. I’m not giving up, however. I’m plugging ahead. This morning my reading included the 11th chapter of Hebrews, AKA “The Roll Call of Faith.” You probably recall Hebrews 11:1 as the definition of faith: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (according to the NASV) … a definition, by the way, that has always hit me like, “OK it sounds good, but what does it actually mean?” The writer then lists case after case from the O.T. where faith resulted (at least eventually) in what we would see as God’s blessing. We read those accounts and are prone to assume that if we have faith, everything will turn out OK. And if things don’t turn out OK, then it must be because we lack faith. It makes sense. It’s logical. But it’s not true.

But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. (Hb. 11:35b-37, NLT)

As I reflected on that, here’s what I wrote in my journal this morning: We don’t like to hear the stories of people who have had faith and “lost.” We celebrate the people whose churches get huge under their leadership. They headline massive conferences and we seek to emulate what they did … even to the point of seeing ourselves as inferior in comparison when we can’t seem to do the same level of wonderful stuff where we are. But scripture tells us otherwise.
All too often we hear people say things to the effect of: “if you give your life to Christ, then everything will work out great.” It ain’t necessarily so. I am much more comfortable with people who honestly say that if you give your life to Christ, then some things in your life might very well get tougher.

I remember one of my choir members from a previous church whose home life was quite difficult … and many in the church knew it. She shared a note that she got from one of the members of the congregation (who knew her home situation) letting her know what an encouragement it was to see her lifting her voice in praise every Sunday morning. She was not a stellar singer by any stretch of the imagination, but she was faithful and the joy of Christ in her heart was evident. Jesus didn’t come to fix everything bad in our lives, but He does redeem them for His glory.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.