As you know, God's Word is the subject of our church's 2020 Outlook. We're really zeroing in on reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Word of God this year at Trinity Baptist Church. The Bible is always our focus at TBC, but this year we're making an extraordinary effort to grow in the spiritual disciplines related to the Word.
How does this intense focus on God's Word work itself out in the Music & Worship Ministry? How does the Word of God inform our planning and preparation for worship services? How is your singing in corporate worship services related to our church's focus on reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Bible?
To answer these questions, I'd like to point you to a portion of a blog post from Keith & Kristyn Getty. The Gettys are talented songwriters who have given us some excellent congregational songs we love here at TBC: "In Christ Alone", "Come, People of the Risen King", and "Hear the Call of the Kingdom", just to name a few. The post below is actually an excerpt from their excellent little book entitled Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church. I love the fact that the Gettys anchor all of their thoughts about singing and corporate worship in the Word of God. They let the Bible guide their thinking about what congregational singing should be:
We are all singers. We may not all be very good singers, but we are
all created to be singers nonetheless. The psalmist sings, “For you
created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I
praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:13–14).
We have three young daughters, and it has surprised us with each of
them how early they could sing. Simple melodies with mumbled words grew
into phrases like “O sing happylujah,” or a bizarre mixture of “Holy,
Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” To
sing is written into our human DNA; it is part of God’s design. Our
desire to make musical instruments to accompany our singing is as old as
our desire to fashion tools to aid us in our daily work (Gen. 4:21–22). Throughout Scripture and through history, we see God’s people using this gift of song to praise Him, the Giver of it.
(https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/why-should-i-sing-in-church-getty)
Brothers and sisters, how is your congregational singing related to our special focus on the Word in 2020? The Word of God informs everything we do in corporate worship--including singing:
- God's Word reveals the ways He wants to be worshiped. We don't have grope around in the dark wondering what kind of worship is pleasing to the Lord. We don't have to guess about what the Lord wants the church to do when we gather together. The Bible tells us! And one of the things the Lord tells us to do is sing: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16)
- God's Word reveals God's attributes, and we praise Him in song according to the truths He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. We sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy," and "You Are God Alone", and "All my life You have been faithful; all my life You have been so, so good!" and "Is He Worthy? He is!"
- God's Word reveals our own sin and weakness and need for the Lord. Many of our congregational songs are desperate cries to the Lord for help, forgiveness, and cleansing. We cry out, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus", and "Lord, I Need You," and "I Need Thee Every Hour".
- God's Word reveals the gospel: God's great salvation plan through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and the empty tomb. In song, we declare "The Blood of Jesus Speaks for Me," and "All I Have Is Christ", and "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!"
- God's Word reveals His will for our lives. Many of our songs are professions of our desire to walk with the Lord--to walk by faith according to His ways in the power of the Spirit. We pray as we sing "Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated", and "Holy Spirit, You are welcome here..." and "Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing..."
In our worship services, we sing the truths of Scripture to the God of Scripture according to the principles of Scripture. As your pastors, our hearts' desire is that your worship of the Lord will grow in maturity and grace and spiritual depth as you grow in your love for His Word.