SONGWRITING
SONGS OF PEACE | Kevin MacDougall
Our world is in distress . For many of us , these are contentious times . Volatile times .
As Ecclesiastes says , “ To everything there is a season …” And to every season , there are songwriters — who provide people with the essential soundtrack in reflection of that season . Music is an important part of what it means to be human , and so we create songs to meet the moment we find ourselves in .
In a time such as this , I ’ m reminded of something the church desperately needs : songs of peace .
In our service and song-craft , it ’ s so easy to be like Martha from the gospels : worried , anxious , troubled and distracted by so many things . Overwhelmed by all that we seek to do and provide . We ’ re doing good things — things that need to be done … but also forgetting to take time to simply sit at the feet of Jesus . The Prince of Peace is with us always , but in our hurries and worries , we don ’ t always remember that .
Our songs can reflect this busyness and stress . They can lose touch with the Source of rest , neglecting to bring about the sort of peace which calms us , as David ’ s music calmed King Saul . ( We all have a little Saul in us ).
But some of my most sacred moments have occurred when great songs brought me peace . They didn ’ t even need to be “ worship songs ” specifically . Bob Marley ’ s “ Redemption Song ” is one that has ministered to me in that way — it just feels like calm and sunlight . When I ’ ve heard it play , I have felt suddenly still . And with that stillness came a growing sense of transcendent tranquility . God is in those moments .
Fittingly , Jesus offers the kind of peace we need .
“ Come to me , all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens , and I will give you rest . Take my yoke upon you , and learn from me ; for I am gentle and humble in heart , and you will find rest for your souls . For my yoke is easy , and my burden is light .” ( Matthew 11:28-30 )
Even from the cross , Jesus absorbs the mob ’ s hatred and contempt with radical , self-giving love . He prays , “ Father forgive them , they know not what they do .”
Jesus is a peacemaker . We should be peacemakers , too .
Both inside and outside the church , people are desperate for some peace . So how are we practically reaching out to them to offer it ? How are we extending it to them — even ( and especially ) when it costs us ? Peace must not only be something we experience , but something we move and act in . Peace is a value we need to have on display in our lives . It should be heralded in the sermons we hear . And it should certainly be something we honor when “ singing to one another in psalms , hymns and spiritual songs .”
“ Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give to you . I do not give to you as the world gives . Do not let your hearts be troubled , and do not let them be afraid .” ( John 14:27 )
Of course , in sacred music there ’ s room for repentance and lament . There ’ s room for
confession and reconversion . But at the same time , it can be easy to write a song that lays a needless heavy burden on those meant to sing it . It can be enticing to aim for songs which bring guilt and shame , or which focus more on our own faults than anything else . There have been times in church services where I have thought it sure would be nice to have some relief from a string of songs like those . I ’ ve felt that way on stage , in fact . And if I feel that way , I know I ’ m not alone in that feeling .
I ’ ve longed for songs which calmed our collective anxieties rather than adding to them . I ’ ve longed for music that amplifies the peace I need rather than amplifying my frustrations . Even songs declaring faith with certainty can be so aspirational as to feel disingenuous at times — like we ’ re posturing as who we think we should be instead of singing honestly as who we are . So many “ triumphant ” musical statements can ultimately feel like a heavy burden in the same way the songs of guilt and shame do .
The greek word translated “ peace ” in the New Testament is eiréné . It speaks to oneness , quietness and wholeness .
I think one of the most common reasons Christians find themselves powerfully experiencing God at “ secular ” concerts is because the music offered there fills them with something that can be hard to find in church . Peace .
Think about that . Consider it . Many of us have accepted a church dynamic where every service just carries this immense pressure — where the service needs to be “ life-changing ,” but no one