We have probably all heard that there is an “audience of one” in worship. While the sentiment of the phrase tries to focus our attention on God (which is good), it is simply not true. A worship service is intended to be a table set for at least two, even three, yeah four. Certainly, we speak, […]
Service For Two, Please Read More »
In 1862 William T. Matson penned the following text, which is a prayer that is often sung to the wonderful Tallis Cannon. We should pray that our heart’s desire would be to listen, love, and abide in the word of truth, for that is abiding in Christ. Notice, however, that this prayer asks for an
“Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Way” Read More »
The church musician has been given a number of titles: Music Director, Music Minister, Worship Leader, Chief Musician, Pastor of Worship, etc. Diva could be added to the list, but let’s assume no one wants that title. Which title is best? In reality there is probably a lot of crossover. Greg, Henry, and I (authors
Director, Minister, Leader, Chief, or Pastor Read More »
One temptation for the church musician is to become overly focused on crafting an experience for worshippers. We can easily spend a lot of time developing a certain feel to a liturgy or a certain genre of music. This is a distraction at best and leads us away from the Word at worst. Though worship
Stop Crafting a Worship Experience Read More »
Throughout the history of the church it has traditionally celebrated certain feasts in order to commemorate and remember portions of the biblical narrative. Through the years the number of feasts grew to burdensome levels. At the time of the Reformation there were close to fifteen major feast days, plus nearly every day marked a “saint’s
The Church Calendar and Evangelical Feasts Read More »
Short pieces of service music such as the Doxology are a gift to the church. They are wonderful additions to both the liturgy of life and corporate worship. While it is more intricate than the Doxology, I was immediately impressed with Greg Wilbur’s “Franklin Sanctus,” which, in my opinion, should become a standard. In any