More Thoughts on Church Music

I find myself in a strange place. I like both hymns and contemporary Christian music. Is that even possible? You bet it is. But let me clarify. I tend to like the more "high church" hymns, such as Holy, Holy, Holy, and Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise; A Mighty Fortress, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; All Creatures of our God and King; Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven, I Sing the Mighty Power of God; and Be Thou My Vision.

Don't get me wrong. I have great reverence for the more popular hymns that we Baptists sing, such as At Calvary, and To God Be The Glory; and how could we do without How Great Thou Art, and the hymn that unites all denominations, Amazing Grace. It's just that these hymns don't move me as much as those I've mentioned above. Why? Because of overuse, I suppose. And yet, I continue to choose them in our worship services because I know they move the people of God at FBC Wimberley. These hymns encourage their collective spirit.

As far as contemporary Christian music is concerned, I'm so glad that in the midst of the thousands of new songs, there are those which are singable by most congregations. I have to really be choosy here. When rhythms are so syncopated as to be difficult to sing, I might use it as a solo, or ensemble piece, but not for the congregation. Anyway, my pastor told me last week that it might be a good idea to let the people in our contemporary service get to know the songs a little better before introducing new music; He suggested letting them sing the songs that really move them. Great advice! I plan to bring those songs back into the regular song repertoire for awhile. As a musician, I guess I get bored of a song before most people. But I'll try to put the needs of others before my own here.

If anybody wants to talk about "worship wars" with me, you might as well not go there. I don't even acknowledge that these wars exist! They are musical preferences, pure and simple. It's my desire that the music serve the text, whatever style we're talking about. But let's all give a little consideration to the wide range of musical styles that people appreciate. Thank God for His creativity that continues to inspire Christian artists to write new hymns and songs; and thank God for the hymns that have stood the test of time due to their theological depth and immortal melodies. Enough said.