Let's see, what am I?
I've always had trouble with churches who split over music styles, whether it was a real split (into two separate churches) or a figurative split (into two or more services based on style). That's why I was so happy when I read this week's Monday morning email by Doug Lawrence, followed closely by Vern Sanders' dotdotdotblog.
In the Psalms, we're told to praise God in every possible way. Remember this from Psalm 150?
Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
The instruments noted in Psalm 150 represented every facet of the Israelites' life and worship, from the trumpets used in by the priests in temple worship and battle, to the Levites' use of the lute and harp, and to the tambourine and dance used by the people in their own personal celebrations.
John Calvin (you remember him - not of the Calvin and Hobbs fame) put it this way: "The Psalmist, therefore, in exhorting believers to pour forth all their joy in the praises of God, enumerates, one upon another, all the musical instruments which were then in use, and reminds them that they ought all to be consecrated to the worship of God."
David Dickson had this to add: "The plurality and variety (I say) of these instruments were fit to represent divers conditions of the spiritual man, and of the greatness of his joy to be found in God, and to teach hat stirring up should be of the affections and powers of our soul, and of one another, unto God's worship; what harmony should be among the worshippers of God, what melody each ... should make in himself, singing to God with grace in his heart, and to show the excellency of God's praise, which no means nor instrument, nor any expression of the body joined thereunto, could sufficiently set forth in these exhortations to praise God with trumpet, psaltery, etc.
Paul also told us to use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in our worship, and in our speaking to one another.
The church is the place where all should come together and unite our voices as a family, a community, in praise and worship, not the place where we're split into our own little homogenized worship worlds.
OK, enough of my soap box. Any thoughts?
In the Psalms, we're told to praise God in every possible way. Remember this from Psalm 150?
Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
The instruments noted in Psalm 150 represented every facet of the Israelites' life and worship, from the trumpets used in by the priests in temple worship and battle, to the Levites' use of the lute and harp, and to the tambourine and dance used by the people in their own personal celebrations.
John Calvin (you remember him - not of the Calvin and Hobbs fame) put it this way: "The Psalmist, therefore, in exhorting believers to pour forth all their joy in the praises of God, enumerates, one upon another, all the musical instruments which were then in use, and reminds them that they ought all to be consecrated to the worship of God."
David Dickson had this to add: "The plurality and variety (I say) of these instruments were fit to represent divers conditions of the spiritual man, and of the greatness of his joy to be found in God, and to teach hat stirring up should be of the affections and powers of our soul, and of one another, unto God's worship; what harmony should be among the worshippers of God, what melody each ... should make in himself, singing to God with grace in his heart, and to show the excellency of God's praise, which no means nor instrument, nor any expression of the body joined thereunto, could sufficiently set forth in these exhortations to praise God with trumpet, psaltery, etc.
Paul also told us to use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in our worship, and in our speaking to one another.
The church is the place where all should come together and unite our voices as a family, a community, in praise and worship, not the place where we're split into our own little homogenized worship worlds.
OK, enough of my soap box. Any thoughts?
Your words: music to my ears. <
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