people who have music in their gatherings primarily to help facilitate experiences of God ’ s manifest presence . Indeed , the “ worship leader ” is often described as having the task of ushering the congregation into God ’ s presence - or of inviting God ’ s presence to be with us - so we can meet with Him in a more intimate way .
The music from the platform should help create an atmosphere where people are more open to the things of God - especially the miraculous , supernatural things of God . I call this segment of the Christian Church the “ sing it till you feel it ” team .
Songs for the “ sing it till you feel it ” team tend to have fewer lyrics . More repeats . Simpler poetry . Repeating a bridge or chorus - even many times - is wonderful for the “ sing it till you feel it ” team . Periods of subtle , atmospheric musical textures , even without any singing ( and sometimes just in total silence ) are often used . Drawn out dynamic builds leading to powerful anthemic refrains can enhance this experiential approach .
The members of this team don ’ t want to have to read a lot of words on a screen nor intellectually process deeper meaning from the song ’ s lyrics . They ’ d prefer to close their eyes , be able to sing from memory or even sing or pray freely as they experience a deepening sense of God ’ s presence .
At the experiential end of this axis , we may use song lyrics that invite God to manifest His presence amongst us . We may ask - even implore - God to allow us to receive more of His Holy Spirit in the here and now .
But on the opposite , theological side , worshippers would have a strong sense that God is omnipresent and that He has already completely and utterly given Himself to us . All of creation . His son Jesus . His Holy Spirit . The scriptures . Nothing more is required . To these worshippers , it might seem ungrateful and inappropriate to ask God for more .
CONCLUSION
But let me be clear : This red “ X ” axis is a continuum . The extreme ends will be very different , but most of us are somewhere closer to the center . Experiential people can also want good theology . Theology people can have experiences of God ’ s presence too !
But some people are just kind of more “ touchy feely ”. Others are more cerebral and “ bookish ”. Know what I mean ? It ’ s okay to be different . That ’ s how we were made . God loves us all . This side of eternity , nobody ’ s worship is pure and perfect yet . Only God gets to judge that anyway .
I hope that ’ s helpful . I look forward to sharing with you about the green “ Y ” axis and the blue “ Z ” axis in future articles . Stay tuned !
Grant Norsworthy founder of MoreThanMusicMentor . com
MoreThanMusicMentor . com
Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash
38 April 2024 Subscribe for Free ...