Worship in the 21st Century Part 2

This is Part 2 of Worship in the 21st Century, which a special friend of mine, Bethany, wrote.

Image from Unspash

Melody and Music

The last thing we looked at was Poetry and the Sticky Image, but to demonstrate this, it is necessary to look at an example. One of my all-time favourites is a French Advent carol called Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. Think about the first verse:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in His hand,

Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

A youtube link: "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" (French traditional carol)

https://www.christkirk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Let-All-Mortal-Flesh-Keep-Silence.pdf

Something I love about these hymns is the joyful (or sorrowful) passion they build through dynamic change, chord/harmony choice, and even just how where the melody goes along the scale - how high, how low and when. If you can listen to or read the sheet music for this beautiful Advent hymn, you will understand what I’m trying to say far more easily. 

For a start, Let All Mortal Flesh is sung in the key of D minor. If there was ever a more sombre and expectant key, I have never heard it. The key and its chords fit the beautiful waiting, groaning, hoping tones of the song.

Secondly, notice the melody of this hymn. Going progressively up the D minor scale in the first line, ending with that expectant high note… only to fall back in the second line to repeat the same tune. Then the high point of the verse - Christ our God to earth. 

Those sudden high notes cause us to sing louder, to swell our voices at the name of our Lord - and then descendeth, our full homage to demand. Did you catch that? The melody literally descends as the volume decreases to almost a whisper. 

And thirdly, the harmonies… they are just so potent for this song! Haunting and evocative, the alto, tenor, and bass lines cause the soprano’s melody to soar in the high points, and support it in the low ones.

The key and arrangement of notes on the scale - in other words, the tune - can make a song feel mournful, joyous, or resolute, to fit the mood of the words. It’s important that the tone of the words and feel the music compliment each other. 

History and the Hope of Heritage

We as Christians have inherited a wealth of rich, strong hymns from our forefathers in the faith. When we sing these songs they have crafted for us, especially the Psalms, we are walking in the footsteps of the saints. We are joining hands with brothers and sisters long returned to their heavenly home.

Christians have sung these songs for centuries! Isn’t that a terribly beautiful thought? There is a hope that all generations since Adam have clung to - that the Serpent will be crushed and our Deliverer will come. We get to stand in this heritage of hope and pass it on to our children and our church.

Throughout history, Psalm 23 has been a comfort to men and women just like us, ever since David! One of my favourite hymns, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, was written by reformer Martin Luther in the early 1500s and its stunning harmonies were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Come and be part of that heritage.

Diets and Zones of Comfort

This is not an argument against modern worship songs; I believe they certainly have a place in our lives. Rather, I am asking why, when there is a better option, do we focus only on what is newest and most familiar to us? 

If you went to a party and were given a burger, you would eat and enjoy it. It might be a really good burger, or it might be an okay burger, or even just a biscuit sized patty sandwiched between two bits of dry bread. 

Sure, you like burgers, but you wouldn’t want to eat them everyday. Even the beefiest beef burger cannot compare to a good old homemade chicken pie, a wholesome lasagna, a tender steak, or a glass of rich wine. It’s the same here. Why live on an exclusive diet of burger music, when you have access to a great heritage of roast lamb?

Let’s say you are making decisions for worship this week. Let’s also assume that you agreed with something, at least, that I have said here. You may then have decided to feature a hymn in your service. It can be tricky, especially with the prejudice against old things that is prevalent in our culture. 

Although I am personally all for keeping to the original tune, key, and words, some people struggle with saying “thee” and “thou.” When enriching the lives of our congregations with these hymns, we need to find the sweet spot where the beauty of the hymn is retained, but the church is able to sing it. This may require shifting the song lower or teaching the men to sing bass and tenor. 

Replacing “thee” with “you” is also acceptable only when it does not meddle with the beauty or logic of the poem. It is good, sometimes, to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.

Image from Unsplash

Just think of the older generation. They grew up with these songs. They probably still remember all the words. Just try. The older members will love it, and the younger ones will learn to. Think of the sticky image seeds you are planting in the children’s hearts, the heritage you are passing on, the words you will never forget, that will help you to sing to God in the most beautiful way you can, to worship Him with your whole heart and voice.

Soli Deo gloria - to the glory of God alone!

I’m Bethany, a child of God seeking ways to make my worship more beautiful and pleasing to Him. I love barefoot walks in the Drakensberg mountains with my family, reading great literature of the past, tea parties, sewing, sailing, bacon, writing the occasional poem, having festive medieval feasts with friends and (of course) singing hymns in harmony. Fight the Good Fight, friends, and bear the flame!