Be Here Now (Kyle Matthews)

For a couple of Sundays at least I have used the words “Attending to God’s Word” as a heading in the worship bulletin. I believe that the words attendance and attention probably have a common root. You may not know, but I take medication for attention deficit disorder every day. Living with ADHD means that I have more trouble than most folks being attentive … in other words, being mentally present as well as physically so. Medication helps, and I've learned some effective skills to compensate over the years.

My friend Kyle Matthews recently released a new CD. Every time a new CD of his comes out, I find that his words intersect with the struggles of my life. I'm not at liberty to share the experiences of others, but I know that I am not alone in that. This link will take you to the published lyrics of the title cut:

Be Here Now.

My sons and some of my friends tease me about my enthusiasm for Kyle's work. Please note that I gain nothing from this plug. You will find words that can heal the broken places in your soul in any of Kyle's CDs. But this most recent one is especially worth your time -- particularly if you are, or have been, in local church ministry.

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

Music ≠ Worship

Worship ≠ Music, and Music ≠ Worship; but 21st century North American evangelicalism sees them as practically same thing. Go to any conference and look at the schedule. When it says “worship” it almost invariably means that someone will be leading music (or in some cases just doing music) up front with the (often missed) goal of getting everybody to sing together. Scripture says that we are to sing to God as an act of worship, so what’s the problem? 

In a recent Christianity.com article, journalist Todd Pruitt asks: Is Your Church Worship More Pagan than Christian? Problems arise when 

... music is viewed as a means to facilitate an encounter with God; it will move us closer to God. In this schema, music becomes a means of mediation between God and man. … Music and ‘the worship experience’ are viewed as means by which we enter the presence of God and receive his saving benefits. … This is a common pagan notion. It is far from Christian.

Pruitt then shares 4 consequences of viewing music itself as an encounter with God found in the book True Worship by Vaughan Roberts (neither the book title nor the author's name is familiar to me). 

• God’s Word is marginalized. Scripture reminds us that faith is generated as we encounter the living Word of God. Feelings may be involved, but the presence of feelings does not indicate worship.
• Our assurance is threatened. If we depend on music in order to feel close to God, then it is the feelings we are seeking, not God.
• Musicians are given a priestly status. We prize their ability to create a “worshipful” atmosphere more than their faithfulness to Christ.
• Division is increased. Because musical taste is subjective there will be a wide variety of musical preferences within any given group of people. But we segregate ourselves according to style preference. 

Pruitt finishes with this thought:

Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to the Lord. … But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honor God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it.

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