February 23, 2015
A New Song
On my most resent church visit
I felt like a mere observer throughout most of the song service, but then they
sang a praise hymn that was familiar. The song “Praise Your Name” allowed me to
connect with that body of believers and I went from simply being a visitor, to
being a fellow worshipper. I’m reminded of the “new song” referred to in
Revelation 5 and I’m really glad John gave us the words to the song. Hopefully
by the time the Lord returns to break the seven seals on the scroll the new
song will feel like a familiar favorite. “You are worthy to take the scroll and
to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased
men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will
reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10 NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----Music is an interesting thing. Melody carries emotional effect. This can be seen in the obvious ways dirges affect different emotions than lullabies, and how the romantic rhythms of “Love Me True” incite different sentiments than those of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
It doesn’t take a genius to know this, only a little listening to music. Also, it doesn’t hurt to realize the emotions are an inner movement involving biorhythms and the chemistry of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Amongst these, rhythms are bio-familiar. So the rhythms of a tune alone invoke similar emotions in every language. Thus there are worshipful melodies, celebratory melodies, and, unfortunately, chaotic and nonsensical melodies.
-----In times past composers understood this. They composed tunes to move emotions in participation with lyrics’ messages entering the mind. When I was in High School I mildly despised lyrical music because I understood its ability for implanting ideas into the mind's soil, all plowed and harrowed by melody. By lyrical music the individual’s rational guarding of “his field” against sown weeds was bypassed. The immense philosophical and moral change from 1965 through 1975 was as much due to the lyrical music of the era as it was to drugs and those times’ tumultuous events. Seeing the harvest of that sowing ripen within the current socio-political hog trough illustrates the danger of sidestepping the rational guardians of the mind. “Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov 4:23)
-----Music is a powerful tool. But it can also become a moronic, laughing stalk. A group of toddlers with spoons and kettles will produce such laughing. Equally effective are musicians trying to deliver a melody by instrumentation for which its affects were not designed. Beethoven’s 12th Symphony strummed by a solo guitar banger is admittedly a bit more laughable than that same banger trying to bang out “How Great Thou Art.” Yet today, before almost every congregation come to honor the Almighty stands Guitar Man dressed in faded blue jeans and tattered T-Shirt pipe-dreaming that he’s moving everybody unto the heights of adoration by strumming up some completely foreign tune for accompanying the lyrics of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Yah! Right! The mighty fortress of our God before Guitar Man is a good set of ear-plugs!
-----What has been forgotten today is that music is fellowship between lyric and melody and singer and singer. Paul exhorted, “…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs...” (Eph 5:19) Fellowship is participation. At least that’s what the Greek means. Participation is not only mutual aspiration towards common things, like tunes, it is more importantly an involvement in one another. So Paul was specific in exhorting us to address one another. “We all” want to address the kids through their tunes in church today, forgetting that’s just one. There’s still the other. Don’t the kids need to participate in the other? Or am I nuts and did Paul just say, “…addressing one in psalms and hymns?” In every congregation are some being emotionally responsive to hymns - “the others“ Paul included. By sincerely addressing one another with fellowshipping melody and lyric, not just in the lip service of Guitar Man strumming “How Great Thou Art“, the Holy Spirit is freed to truly plow and harrow fields for seeding with love. For one will purposefully be trying to incite the affections of the other with what actually incites those affections in the other. And that is love.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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