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Great news. Apparently the Sovereign Grace Music sale is going very well, and they are extending the sale through March. So, you can pick up accompaniment tracks, and cds for only $6. Plus free shipping! You can't beat that. Great music at a great price. Not sure what to buy? See my previous post about recommendations.
Ever wonder what the definition of a "successful " Sunday morning looks like for a worship leader? Believe me, I think about it all the time. Here is Bob Kauflin's definition as given to a group of band leaders and production staff at Mars Hill Church in Seattle:
I started by saying that only God ultimately knows what’s going on in
people’s hearts. But we’re called to be faithful. So I shared that I
begin by making sure I have a clear and biblical goal - to magnify the
glory of God in Christ. It’s not to have a great musical experience, to
pull off a flawless presentation, or to pump people up. We should want
people to walk away with a clearer view of the Savior, with more love
for him in their hearts, and with a greater desire to obey him in all
of life. With a clear goal, I then plan to achieve that goal. So I pick
songs that are filled with the gospel and biblical truth and
appropriate expressions of response. I plan to say something that will
help people understand why we’re singing. I arrange the songs so that
the music is a servant to the words and not the main focus. During the
meeting, I try to remain aware of how the congregation is engaging with
what’s going on. If I sense that people aren’t involved or responding,
I do what I can to direct their focus to the works and worthiness of
God. If I do all those things, I think I’ve had a “successful” time of
corporate worship.
So, when you leave Sunday morning (or afternoon, depending on which service you attend), what makes the morning a success or failure for you? Are there Biblical passages that support your definition of a "success?"
What will music in Heaven sound like? What songs will we be singing "when the roll is called up yonder?" What do you hear when you imagine angels singing? I'm sure the immediate thought would be harps… lots and lots of harps. Others may imagine a fleet of 9' Steinway pianos, and the biggest Allen organ ever seen, heard playing Fanny Crosby hymns for all eternity. Still other believers imagine an orchestra full of the most skilled players, and playing music that would put Handel, Bach, Beethoven, and Liszt to shame. There is another contingent that sees large speakers, sub-woofers, guitars, drums, keyboards, and microphones pumping out amplified praise to God. What about African believers who imagine a myriad of drums being beaten with rhythms unfamiliar to the Western ear? Or Japanese Christians who think of the sound of the koto or shamisen? Then there are believers who come from an a capella tradition, Mariachi bands, Celtic music, and a plethora of other styles, variations, instrumentation, and rhythmic diversity. Furthermore, music has developed over the last several millennium. Musical innovators broke the rules of their predecessors, and were considered outcasts during their lifetime, but we now consider them geniuses. Will the Baroch era be favored over music from the Romantic era or will we need to go further back in human history so that everything will sound like the music of ancient Israel?
Perhaps we should ask the all important WWJD question. If He had an ipod (or would He use a walkman, cd player, eight track player, record player, large boom box on His shoulder, or gramophone?) what would our Lord listen to? Perhaps live music only, but that still doesn't answer our original question of what type of music will be heard in Heaven. Furthermore, will there be multiple areas of Heaven where we can listen to the music of our preference? East side- 20th century minimalistic worship, South side- Mariachi bands, North side- non-western music (since we are American we'll lump Korean, Indian, Filipino, African, and all others here), West side- banjos, jugs, and wash boards for the first half of eternity, rap for the second half.
My dad has joked that he can't wait until we all get to heaven and everyone hates the music. He was joking, of course, but there is such a hot debate over music in the church (a debate that is not exclusive to the modern era) that I can't help but wonder what it will be like.
So, what does the Bible say about instrumentation? The most complete list of instruments used for praising God may be found in Psalm 150 in which trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, stringed instruments, pipe, loud cymbals, and resounding cymbals are mentioned, but not in relation to heaven. Since harps are a popular instrument when thinking about heaven I performed a word search, and the results were very interesting. Harps are used in a positive light usually, but also negatively (i.e. you sing songs and play the harp, but do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Isaiah 5:12; Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol, Isaiah 14:11). The majority of harp references are to inspire joy, but some describe times of sadness (Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep, Job 30:31). The vast majority of the references to harps describe times of praise to God, and are accompanied by dancing, singing, flutes, lyres, timbrels, "loud-sounding cymbals," trumpets, castanets, "instruments made of fir wood," tambourines, shouts, and "sounds of joy." Still, all of this pertains to ancient Israel, but not necessarily to heaven.
What all of this discussion boils down to is that we don't know what heavenly music will sound like. There are musical instruments listed in the Bible, but none that give a definitive answer to what it will sound like when the saints of God are gathered around the throne for all eternity. This is an important question, not because I want my preference validated, but because I long for the offering I bring to the Lord to be pleasing to Him, acceptable, a fragrant offering, and not a stench. The best way to ensure this is to make sure we are modeling the pattern we'll have in heaven, when all sin is gone, and swords are beaten into plowshares (Micah 4:3). I long for that day. For now, the best we can do is to center our corporate worship on the Lamb that was slain and use the gifts that He has provided in our church for His glory and the church's edification.
Here is what I can say for certain about worship in Heaven. In all honesty, music will not be the focus because the Lamb will be enough. He will be the supreme center of our affections. He will be at the heart of our worship, the way He desires to be right now. Whether it is an army of kazoos, an orchestra, African drums, ancient and forgotten instruments, or a capella we will worship the Lamb who was slain for the sin of the world with hearts nevermore influenced by sin or selfish desires.
I encourage you to read Revelation 5 today. Read it several times. I have already been moved to tears today as I read an account of the worship of God in heaven. Here is a small foretaste of what is to come:
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
13And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
14And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen " And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Mondays have a bad reputation. They are dreaded more than any other day of the week, but are necessary in the grand scheme of things. Tuesday had better thank its lucky stars for Monday, otherwise everyone would dread Tuesday. If it weren't for Monday we'd have a 6 day week, divided evenly in half- there would be no "hump day," no perfect middle day on which we could have Choir rehearsal, AWANA, Mid-week Bible Studies, etc… Yes, we need Monday. However, we still have to cope with Monday. So here are some good, healthy thoughts for Monday mornings when you don't want to wake up and get your week started:
I've tried all of the above methods, and none are particularly to my liking. In the end you're either lying to yourself, or you receive confused, irritated looks from your coworkers.
The Bible doesn't give specific direction regarding our attitude toward Monday. In fact, it's not even mentioned once in the entire Bible. However, I think there are some strong Biblical passages we can examine and use as encouragement, not just on Monday, but every day.
The best thought we can begin with each day is to remember the great mercy shown to us in Christ. Though we were far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. We were slaves to sin and our own desires, but now we are slaves to Christ. As if it were not enough that our sin and condemnation are placed on Jesus, but we have been saved to an eternal hope of glorification. Our hope is not merely for this life, but for the life to come.
So, on those tough Mondays, and the days when your car won't start, your breakfast burrito ends up on your tie, the boss chews you out, cute little Johnny throws up on you (multiple times), your computer crashes, and Sparky the wonder dog leaves a surprise for you on the living room carpet, etc… Remember that God's mercies are new every morning, that He has dealt bountifully with you, that He is good and His lovingkindness is everlasting, that He works all things for good.
And then when you find yourself facing something really serious I encourage you to still remember that the Lord's compassions never fail, He's dealt bountifully with you, that He is good, that you've been called according to His purposes, and that He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
I hope you have a good Monday (and Tuesday, and Wednesday, etc…).
I have some good news, and I'll get to it at the end of this post.
In my humble opinion (so, take it or leave it...) some of the best song writers serving the church right now are part of a ministry organization called Sovereign Grace Ministries. Verses like Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19 indicate that concerning music in churches there should be a variety of musical expression, a teaching/admonishing aspect to it, a bent toward thankfulness, with the express end of encouraging the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. Again, for what it is worth, I think the song writers of Sovereign Grace Ministries are so gifted and carry out the above task with excellence and humility. Here are some of the songs they have written that we currently sing in our church:
Jesus, Thank You
Grace Unmeasured
Christ the Lord is Born Today
The Son of God Came Down
Isn't He Good
Receive the Glory
Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son
The above songs have helped me focus on the glories of Calvary and the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross, and I'm so thankful for them and the men and women who wrote them. I hope and pray that God has used them in the same way in your life and walk with the Lord.
So, here's the good news. Through the end of this month, Sovereign Grace Ministries is offering their cds for $6 each, with free shipping inside the US. Our church has already ordered a ton of them, and we gave them to the choir and our praise band as gifts. I can't recommend them highly enough. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
Worship God Live (recorded live at a Worship God conference)
Valley of Vision (songs based on Puritan prayers found in The Valley of Vision)
Upward: The Bob Kauflin Hymns Project (arrangements of hymns by Bob Kauflin)
Savior (songs about the Incarnation)
Songs for the Cross Centered Life (based on readings from CJ Mahaney's Living The Cross Centered Life)
In A Little While (songs by father-son duo Mark and Stephen Altrogge)
Enjoy!
I hope to catch up on a few things I've been thinking about as I've laid in bed all week. However, I wanted to start with a story I came across this morning. A few weeks ago I mentioned the mother who sacrificed her life in order to save her baby's life. Well, here is a story in which a woman's twin babies saved her life by kicking a tumor free from her cervix. Enjoy the read, and there will be more to come over the next several days.
Bob Kauflin: Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God
C.J. Mahaney: Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing
D. A. Carson: The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians
Jim Andrews: Polishing God's Monuments: Pillars of Hope for Punishing Times
John Piper: Desiring God : Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
If you are in need of an engaging but challenging book on Christian Spirituality, start here!
