Inside the Sojourn

The magic of music

I have sometimes wondered why music can move us in so many ways.  We laugh, cry, celebrate, reflect and remember more powerfully when set to music.  Rhythm gets to our feet and hands.  Melody gets to our heart.  Words remain lodged in our brain for a lifetime.  The universe has amazing attributes of symmetry and beauty - and as part of our created universe, music can be reduced to elegant mathematics, but the beauty is not in the numbers.  There's something more ethereal and basic at the same time.  It's much easier to appreciate than it is to produce; that intangible aspect of music that touches our soul so deeply that we ache with joy and wade through melancholy willingly with the right music in our ears.  It is a gift from God and this is the magic of music.

Big Yellow Taxi

During this series "The Inconvenient Truth - God's creation | our home", we've decided to play "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell - though we're adopting a style more akin to the Counting Crows cover of the song.  We'll play it instrumentally during the offering except week three, when we'll perform the song just prior to the message.  I saw a twinkle of recognition in a few eyes when we did it for the first time yesterday. I like the fact that we can occasionally have some fun within the context of a worship service.

This raises the issue (for me, anyway) of where to draw the line between the sacred and the secular.  Shouldn't we just do "Christian" music in church?  Well, if you've been at Sunnybrook since Jan 06, you already know that we occasionally do popular music when it fits, e.g. "You've Got a Friend in Me" during the "I've got a friend who..." series and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" after the Easter service last year.

I agree with Rob Bell (pastor of Mars Hill church) that the word "Christian" is a wonderful noun and not always such a great adjective.  As a noun, it names us as followers of Jesus - a very good thing.  As an adjective, it describes things that exist within our faith subculture.  Mostly, that's good, but not always.  For example, "Christian" music has to have certain lyrics within a narrow scope (talk to anyone that writes or produces successfully in that genre).  The genre itself is fine, but the unintended consequence can be the exclusion from acceptability of anything that doesn't adhere to the implicit rules of the adjective.  In some cases, it's a fear response that views anything not explicitly labeled Christian as suspect. 

So can we sing "Big Yellow Taxi" at church even though it's not a "Christian" song?  It's something to ponder...

How do we pick the songs?

Ever wonder why we sing the particular songs we sing on a given Sunday? Though most of the feedback is very positive, people occasionally prod me about singing a favorite or about a song or style they don't like.   It's helpful to see the bigger picture of how we pursue the mission in our Sunday morning services to understand what we do.

Picking songs to sing for a particular service is not just looking over a list and selecting personal favorites to fill a time slot.  Neither is it just doing what the lead guy (preacher) dictates. It is a prayer covered, spirit-led collaboration driven by series level thinking and planning. The process includes generating key words, metaphors, visual images (remember the street signs for "Where Life and Faith Meet"), sermon titles, communion meditations, dramas, videos, object lessons and finally, music.  Every element is tied to the message which is thematic throughout a given series.  We pursue the goal of achieving a holistic approach to communicating the gospel every time we gather in the context of series. We fall short of that ideal a lot of the time, but we believe that our effectiveness has increased since employing this type of planning in the second half of 2006.

For example, we are about to start a series called "The Inconvenient Truth - God's creation | our home". So... we look for themes in the music that talk about God's creation, the earth and the like. "Indescribable" and "God of Wonders" talk about God's majesty as expressed in His creation. There's a certain logic to including songs like these in our musical worship for the upcoming series and it contributes to greater effectiveness in getting the message across. 

I hope this has shed some light on how we plan the music.  It's part of a much bigger idea...   

          

Picking songs to sing for a particular service is not just looking over a list and selecting personal favorites to fill a time slot.  Neither is it just doing what the lead guy (preacher) dictates. It is a prayer covered, spirit-led collaboration driven by series level thinking and planning. The process includes generating key words, metaphors, visual images (remember the street signs for "Where Life and Faith Meet"), sermon titles, communion meditations, dramas, videos, object lessons and finally, music.  Every element is tied to the message which is thematic throughout a given series.  We pursue the goal of achieving a holistic approach to communicating the gospel every time we gather in the context of series. We fall short of that ideal a lot of the time, but we believe that our effectiveness has increased since employing this type of planning in the second half of 2006.

For example, we are about to start a series called "The Inconvenient Truth - God's creation | our home". So... we look for themes in the music that talk about God's creation, the earth and the like. "Indescribable" and "God of Wonders" talk about God's majesty as expressed in His creation. There's a certain logic to including songs like these in our musical worship for the upcoming series and it contributes to greater effectiveness in getting the message across. 

I hope this has shed some light on how we plan the music.  It's part of a much bigger idea...