That Church Music

After reading today's paper online, the letters to editor and ruminating on our latest Church Business meeting, I decided it was time to write some thoughts on church music.

Why do people get so excited about Church music when someone inserts a change? Why do people get so excited when a hymn shows up in the bulletin they aren't familiar with? Why do people get so excited when we sing a chorus rather than a hymn? I wish I knew.

Church music and the changes thereof have caused uneasiness down through the ages. Why? Well, the "c" word comes to mind. CHANGE! People hate change. But some hate it more than others. At my age, I'm not a big fan of change, but dang, every day something changes, so you have to roll with it. Give some room.

The early church, undoubtedly sang the Psalms. (The songs...) Somebody, at some point, came up with a "new" song. I expect when they sang it for their fellowship, some body raised the roof about their "evil music". I mentioned to someone a while back that I'd like to see us use a Psalter sometime for scripture memorization. That didn't fly. I keep wondering why. I'm not a music person, meaning I cannot "read" music or play an instrument. I feel sort of "unBrethren" because of failure, but I get by. Still, I love music. I love the sound of it, I love the variety of it, I love the 'feel' of it. I love to sing. Sometimes it sounds pretty bad, but I love to do it all the same. And I am not a music snob. I love ALL kinds of music ~ classic, traditional, rock, country, contemporary, you name it. When I have the opportunity to hear something "new" I enjoy it. So, I get very disturbed when people complain about "new" music! No, I get more than disturbed, it drives me nuts. Seriously, can't you find something BETTER to complain about?

Music in church has divided congregations more than it should. Fanny Crosby is a favorite hymn writer of many. Yet, her songs were set to the music of "familiar tunes" of the day. Familiar... as in... secular tunes. William Booth ? The same. How about my favorite, "Be Thou My Vision"? Not a sacred tune, I can tell you. Many folks complained about these artists music ~ not the words, mind you, but the tunes. "Devils music", they said. Well, William Booth answered with a question, "Why should the Devil have all the good tunes?" These same songs are some of the famous songs now that we all tout. Enter in Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, dare I say, News Boys. Songs, choruses... They have to have a SPECIAL TIME set aside to sing. Fifteen minutes before "church" starts we can sing those, but not during service. "We" (whomever 'we' are) don't like those songs, but we'll 'allow' you to have them before we get there.

Rebel that I am, I state, here, for the world to read, SICK of being told this garbage. God is interested in the words and heart of the song. I wonder what King David would think about our silly quarrels over music? Piano and organ only? He didn't have those, so used whatever he could find... lyre, drum, pipes... Let us sing on, play on, enjoy the words sung to the God of the Ages!!! At every service, at any time. Get over yourselves. Stretch yourselves. See what God can do!!!