Directions for Singing: Part 3a - Sing All

The third direction John Wesley gives us is like a shotgun blast. His aim hits the target, but does so in a way that covers a lot of ground. I initially intended to give my thoughts on this entire point in one go, but I happened upon a few interesting rabbit trails along the way and allowed myself to meander. 

3. Sing All. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.

Today I’d like to look at the first sentence: Sing All.

When I read “Sing All” I am immediately aware of three possible meanings: 1) Sing all of the hymns in the hymnbook. 2) Sing all of the words in the hymn. 3) Sing all, every one of you. Wesley may have intended it to mean only one of them, but since we cannot ask him (for he’s been dead for over two centuries) and since I think all of the meanings I’ve gathered from these two words would be agreeable to Wesley anyway, I’ll go for it.

Sing All of the Hymns in the Hymnbook

Sing every song. Every one of them. The whole shebang. Even that one. Allow me to backup before I run and jump into this. Singing all the hymns from the hymnbook is almost a foreign concept to our PowerPoint-shaped minds. Technology today gives us the ability to sing a 400 year old song and a song written 2 hours ago in the very same service without even a hitch. Even if you don’t have access to a projector, most have access to a printer that will meet your immediate needs (Gutenberg would be so proud). The way we view the hymnal today is vastly different from how it was viewed back then. Don’t miss the importance of this. In the past, the hymnal was more or less a requirement. Today the hymnal is optional. One could think of the physical hymn book as a well, and projected (or print-on-demand) lyrics as a faucet.

"Spring up, O well! sweet fountain, spring!"

In many ways the ‘worship wars’ transition of the recent past could be boiled down to how people viewed the physical hymn book. Folks who were used to the well, sustained by the well, whose lifestyle developed around the use of the well, were suddenly introduced to this newfangled doohickey called the faucet. No longer did one have to go outside to the well for water, you could just flip it on in the house. When they went to the well they knew exactly where their water was coming from. But this new plumbing brought water to the faucet from somewhere else. Surely there must be a reservoir somewhere, but how do we know where it came from? How can we be sure someone hasn’t put something else in it? Besides, this tap water tastes funny.

"Pour out your power and love"

Do you see what happened? Nothing essentially negative has occurred. But something negative might occur. And it certainly changes the rhythm of how life used to be. Something solid and reliable has been removed. The hymn book, for centuries has been a haven. A place of solace. Between these two covers is sustenance and safety. If you take a look back at the preface of hymnals such as those developed by pastors like Gadsby and Spurgeon, you will see that one of their concerns is to have a body of songs that have been vetted and approved and are ready for consumption. This is more or less the same reason there is a different hymnal for every denomination. For the good of their people they tailored their hymnbooks to gather the good stuff and avoid the junk.

Along comes technology and it allowed immediate access to new and different songs. The well water that is good for drinking, the one our fathers’ fathers have been drinking from for all these years, is suddenly unnecessary. Now, only pragmatists wish to destroy that which is unnecessary, and believe you me the modern church is chalk full of pragmatists. And because the modern church is chalk full of pragmatists that means they lined up on both sides. The Hymnbooker Pragmatists were of the opinion that the Projector and the music it brought with it were unnecessary in light of what they already had. The PowerPointer Pragmatists stood firm in their belief that the hymnbook was impractical in light of what they now had. Are you starting to hear the war drums beat? (Well…at least one side was pounding drums…) Meanwhile those Christians who hadn’t succumbed to the temptations of the goddess, Pragma, were taking part in a revolutionary concept in our day in age; they were singing together. For Christians are the best at reveling in that which is gloriously unnecessary.

Well that’s enough backing up, now for the run and jump. All of that was said so that we can see the reason John Wesley directed his people to “Sing All” was because this Hymnbook was the Well he dug and he knew it was good. Like Spurgeon and Gadsby after him, Wesley developed this hymnbook for sustenance and safety. Every song was included for a reason; to glorify God and to edify the Church. He wanted his people to draw deep and drink all the well had to offer.

Sing All of the Words in the Hymn

Growing up I figured there must’ve been some Baptist rule in hymn singing that went like this: “You Shall Sing Verses 1, 2, and 4. Never Verse 3.” Is it me or did they always skip verse 3? Perhaps the third verse was the Baptist version of diabolus in musica? Whatever the reason, skipping verses in this way conveyed to me, even at a young age, a pretty strong message: The length of the song trumps the content of the song. This, in turn, conveyed the idea that singing didn’t matter much. It was just something we do because it’s something we’ve always done. Get on with it. And if singing didn’t matter much, what we sang didn’t matter much. And if what we sang didn’t matter much, well then; songs to and about our Creator and Savior that don’t matter to Christians are the devil’s favorite tunes.

That said, skipping verses is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is appropriate and necessary. Sometimes singing one verse is enough. But this shouldn’t be the rule or arbitrary habit in gathered worship and I think John Wesley would agree. Skipping verses in singing is like skipping verses of Scripture. Imagine someone reading Scripture during worship and always skipping every third verse. You might get the point across but really you are betraying the context and the content. A hymn is more likely to build upon itself than our modern verse/chorus/verse/chorus songs. More often, hymns, like a puzzle, require each piece to see the whole picture. But in the end wisdom and discernment should prevail. If you as a leader, or you as a singer, choose to omit a word or a verse then it ought not be arbitrary or done without thinking.

Sing All, Every One of You

Out of all of the meanings I’ve pulled out of “Sing All”, I feel like this one likely hits closest to Wesley’s intention. The emphasis he places on “All” with italics causes me to want to interpret “All” as “Everybody”. And the immediate “see that you join with the congregation” also leads me there. Whatever his intention, this is good advice.

I would that you might suffer me another ‘growin up Baptist’ anecdote. I mentioned how skipping the third verse caused me to slide down a slope of Doesn’t Matter Much of Whatcha Sing. So it comes as no surprise that there were many mouths clamped shut during our times of singing. Singing was (is!) a burden to many. I grew up in a church full of lackluster singing. But I never knew how bad it was until I attended another congregation. The song was “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” and before I uttered two melodic syllables I was struck dumb. I stopped singing because I was amazed at the sound around me. The voice of the congregation boomed. I checked the ceiling to make sure it was still intact. I looked around me to make sure the heavenly host hadn’t joined in. And there was one more thing that took me a moment to pin down. What was that sound? That deep rumble. That punch. That sound that invigorated and fortified my soul. It was the sound of men singing. I mean, really singing. It was an experience I’ll never forget. The following week found me again at First Baptist Church of Dreary Song and as we stood to sing verses 1, 2 and 4, my soul was dismayed. No wonder Wesley encouraged everyone to sing.

We’ll dig a bit more into this in the next installment.

============

Previous installments of the Direction's for Singing series

Introduction

Part 1 - Learn These Tunes

Part 2 - Sing Them Exactly

Linktastic!

Normally I don't often dedicate a post to links, but it's been over a month since my last post and it's time for me to play a bit of catch-up. So today's post is plumb full of links directing you, dear reader, to some things I've really been enjoying recently and wanted to share with you.

Doctrine and Doxology: Why we must fire boring teachers and preachers - Carl Trueman is always saying something awesome. He's always seeing and saying things from a different perspective that washes over a subject like a fresh breeze. This article from Reformation 21 is fantastic. The reason I call my blog Sound Doxology is exactly what he explains in this article; namely that doctrine and doxology are linked, and you can't have one without the other. But as great as this article is, I recommend everything Carl Trueman writes.

Seeds Family Worship - These guys do an incredible job at putting Scripture to music. A couple years ago I wrote about how most songs written for children in the church are either putrid or just stupid and we are in major need of children's songs that have good quality in both music and content. Well the Seeds guys are doing it extremely well.

John Stott Has Died - I was saddened to hear this news. God used John Stott to greatly increase my understanding of worship. Stott was really the first person I read who clearly conveyed that the more we know God the more we will worship God. I've had this quote of his on my blog since I started it a few years back:

"All true worship is a response to the self-revelation of God in Christ and Scripture, and arises from our reflection on who He is and what He has done….The worship of God is evoked, informed, and inspired by the vision of God….The true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship."

Worship Leaders – Prepare Like a Preacher - Good things are always happening at Cardiphonia. I found this article to be wonderful, and as always there are fantastic resources that go along with it.

Speaking of Cardiphonia, as I was linking to the site I ran across the latest post The Rise of Digital Hymnals. (See, I told you good things are always happening there...) I am a huge, mega fan of Digital Hymnals. I've been telling you about Indelible Grace and Red Mountain Music for a while now, but Bruce has collected and linked to a few more!

Reflections on the Psalms - I'm half-way through this book by CS Lewis and I already want to recommend it. Reading this book has caused me to fall more in love with the book of Psalms. After a chapter or two I can't help but close the book and start reading the Psalms.

The Wingfeather Saga - Andrew Peterson, in my opinion, is a master wordsmith. His lyrics in his songs pierce my heart in ways no other songwriter has done before. So it's no surprise that his books do the same thing. He's written three books so far, with a fourth on the way. I just finished the third book and the story rejuvenated my soul. This really doesn't have much to do with congregational worship, but after reading his last book, I was driven to worship in light of the beauty and truth of God.

Gospel Focused Leadership with Dr. Richard Blackaby - This one-day event will be taking place at Wornall Road Baptist Church (my church) on Saturday Aug 20 from 10AM to 3PM. Includes worship and prayer as well as leadership from Dr. Blackaby on "getting our hearts, minds and God's people onto God's Agenda." The cost is free and lunch is provided. If you live in (or are nearby) the Kansas City area this would be a great opportunity for you and/or your church leaders to rest and reorient around the gospel.

Around the Table - This is my new blog that both my wife and I contribute to. (It's also likely the reason why I haven't posted here lately...) Essentially it is a blog about food and fellowship and life around the dinner table. We share recipes and stories and hopefully it will inspire you or make you laugh.

Finally, I thought I'd link to what's become my most viewed post (by far): The Effeminate Worship Leader. I knew this would strike a nerve when I first posted it (both positive and negative) but I didn't really expect the amount of traffic it has generated, and what it continues to generate. I've thought about re-posting it and updating it a bit, but after re-reading it I don't know if I have much else to say about it in this format. I am always open to having a dialogue about these kinds of things though.

So that's it for now! Hopefully some of these links have interested you as much as they have interested me.

When the Lights Go Out: Technology in the Worship Service; Analysis and Practical Application

Something I find myself doing a lot (especially lately) is imagining what a worship service would have been like in the past. There are many history books out there that describe ancient liturgies and customs that certain churches, both Catholic and Protestant, would use every week. I would encourage everyone to research and dig around to find more information on how Christians in the past developed and implemented their liturgy and how worship services were conducted—especially in your own tradition. But that’s not really what I’m getting at here. I want to know what it was like to actually be there. I want to sit where they sat, to feel what they felt, to hear what they heard, and to see what they saw. More specifically, I want to hear what they heard…and how they heard it. I want to see what they saw…and how they saw it.

Imagine you are in a great cathedral in Europe in the Middle Ages. Or maybe in a small frontier church in the American West around the 1800’s. Or how about the house of a Jewish fisherman in Capernaum in the 1st Century. Now imagine a thunderstorm rolls in. Great flashes of electric current spread across the sky. During the storm the church is doing what the gathered church does: praying, singing, read Scripture, and hearing the Word of God preached. The storm has no real distracting effect on the worship service, other than an occasional thunderclap and perhaps a prayer offered in thanksgiving for the rain. Hey, if the storm is really bad there might even be prayer for safety on the way home.

Now fast forward to the present day. Picture yourself sitting in a modern day church building. You may be in a building that looks like “a church”—steeple and all. Or perhaps a school, a theatre, a warehouse, or a six-thousand seat Megacenter. Ok. Same situation, big thunderstorm rolls in and lightning fills the sky.

As a music minister, do you know what runs through my mind right now? Gut wrenching panic. All of the songs I prepared are now sitting in an electronic file, on an electronic computer, waiting to be displayed electronically. Most of the instruments are plugged in to an electronic box, connected to an electronic soundboard—as well as every single electronic amplification device in the building, from speakers to microphones. Above the congregation hang many light fixtures designed to electronically illumine the building, the flickering of which gives me the first indication that my current panic will soon become full blown horror. Then…BOOM! The storm has dealt its final death blow and with a static pop and a descending hum the congregation is plunged into darkness.

The lights are out. There is no projector. There is no sound system. What happens now?

This happened once to me a few years back. Thankfully, we had already sung most of the songs, but there was one more right after the sermon. On this particular Sunday a student from the youth group was preaching his very first sermon when all of a sudden…ZAP! the lights go out. I sat there dumbfounded like everyone else for the first few seconds. Then, you know the feeling, it’s that hint of giddiness a schoolchild gets when the lights go out at school and the teachers have no control. But it’s ok, we’re at church, everyone contains their inner schoolchild (except the kids!). Someone found a flashlight and after a few minutes the student went right on preaching. Good for him. Then it hit me, what am I going to do? I knew the congregation wouldn’t be able to sing song I previously selected by memory. Do I use the darkness to slip out of the sanctuary to the office where I can make 200 copies? Nope. Copy machine is electronic and therefore, dead. Then I looked in front of me and a light came on (in my head). Praise the Lord for hymnals! The sermon was about over so I flipped through the hymnal as fast as I could, trying to find a song that everyone was familiar with. No time to consider if the song would be an appropriate response to the sermon, just find a song! So I found an oldie but goody, went up to the pulpit and announced the hymn number. Then, in the dark, we sang the first line together, “O soul, are you weary and troubled; No light in the darkness you see?” The words we sung were appropriate and slightly ironic when you really think about it. At this point I’m thinking to myself, I am either a genius or an idiot. Upon further reflection, considering my haste and carelessness in selecting the song, I can plainly see that I was an idiot—blessed and given grace by the Lord—but an idiot nonetheless.

With the exception of the last 110 years or so, the Church has always held its services in buildings without electricity. 110 years is just a blip on the radar screen in comparison with 2000 years. But today, unless you meet in a small group in a house, you will be hard pressed to find a church gathering that does not implement audio and visual enhancement technology. And even in a house church you’ve got lights!

So what exactly am I getting at here? Well, to be honest, I hope all of this imagining helps us to think about how technology benefits us or limits us in our gathered worship service. In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul writes, “Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial.” I believe we can apply that logic to technology being used in the church. So the first thing we should ask is, “Is it beneficial?” When it comes to clearly hearing and seeing in congregational worship, I would say yes, absolutely!

Even in ancient times, the church has always utilized technology. Imagine how architects designed the acoustics of the cathedrals and meeting halls. The rooms were vast and spacious. The speaker’s podium was high above the congregation so that he could be seen. Hundreds of people could hear what was being spoken without the aid of a microphone. Large windows were created to allow the natural light to pour into the building. Stain glass windows served as visual instruction to the illiterate. Places were intentionally built for candles to illumine a room. The printing press allowed for the reproduction of innumerable Bibles and hymnbooks. All of these innovations were beneficial to the worshippers who gathered together at that time. All we’ve really done today is “electronified” them. But the fact remains that the Church got along just fine without our modern day technology, which leads us to the question, “Is it necessary?” Well, yes…and no.

The reason I say yes and no, is that modern day technology is only necessary when the situation dictates it. Lights are what we in the industry call a ‘no brainer’ in the necessity department. Are lights necessary? I would say, in all occasions, yes. It is up to you whether or not you want electric light bulbs or candles. But most people find that the benefits of electric light bulbs far outweigh that of candles; a fact in which most firemen agree.

How about microphones? Are microphones necessary? Well, not in every situation, but if people cannot hear the preacher, give the man a microphone to amplify his voice so that all can hear. A microphone is a relatively inexpensive way to make sure everyone can hear you. Sure you could do without, but when are you planning on building that acoustic friendly cathedral? Sure, there may be occasional distracting feedback, but that can be corrected. If you met outside there may be an occasional distracting horsefly.

How about projection? Projection is extremely beneficial and yet, completely unnecessary. Using a projector is the equivalent of using a power drill. It allows you to do difficult things with simplicity. Could I do it by hand? Sure, but it is almost effortless if I use the power drill. Could we sing from memory? Sure, but it does limit you to a very narrow song selection. A more apt metaphor would be to liken the projector to a multi-functional tool, such as a Swiss Army Knife. This tool can be used for announcements, schedules and for many it is an aid for teaching. It also can be used to see visually what a large group may not be able to physically see for themselves. For example, pictures or video of places mentioned in the Bible, or video messages from a missionary.

One of the most obvious and beneficial uses of the projector is the ability to project song lyrics. But as the church has the option to sing from a hymnbook or from copied paper, the projector remains unnecessary. However, the benefit of the projector is the ability to provide the congregation with songs that are not found in the current publication of their hymnal. If the hymnal is the bucket of water, the projector is the running faucet. The projector also gives the ability to arrange a song in whatever fashion the music minister may desire, allowing for a more authentic approach to congregational singing. Essentially, the projector provides simplicity and versatility, both of which are absolutely beneficial but not absolutely necessary.

Let’s Get Practical!
I haven’t yet even considered more detailed items such as electronic instruments, stage lighting, monitors, wireless features, ipods, computers, DVDs, etc. but for the most part I believe you can run them through the “is it beneficial? – is it necessary?” filter. When you ask yourself, “Is this beneficial?” the answer should be “yes” before you move on to the next question. If whatever you are using is not beneficial (ie. it is not glorifying to God, nor edifying to the Church) then do not use it (see the second part of 1 Cor. 10:23). However, if it is beneficial then ask yourself, “Is it necessary?” Here, remember to take the context of the situation into consideration.

If what you are using is necessary for your situation, then by all means use it. But if it is not necessary, then my suggestion is that you would use it with the expectation that you may not be able to use it. A good question to ask yourself is, “Do I depend on it?” Meaning, do you depend on it to the point that if it is ever taken from you then gathered worship would halt? For instance, let’s say your church doesn’t have any hymnals; and you have three songs prepared in PowerPoint, all of which will be accompanied by an electric keyboard, electric guitars and drums. The power goes out. No projection and the only instrument that people will hear are the drums. This should point out your dependence upon unnecessary things. Once you have figured out what the unnecessary things you are depending on are, you can now create a situation to prevent it. If your church only uses PowerPoint and does not have hymnals, make sure your congregation knows 10 songs by heart—start now. Be mindful of the type of instruments you currently lead with. Do you have an instrument that will work in an acoustic setting such as a piano or an acoustic guitar? And remember, even instruments are not necessary—be prepared to sing a cappella! What does the room look like when all the lights are out? Can the preacher be heard in the back without a microphone? Etc.

I would advise anyone in a church leadership position to run through these things and go over them with the people involved. It is a good exercise to do a Tech Check. I just totally made that phrase up. Now I’m not into formulas and 12 step plans as to how to “do church” so take this info for what it’s worth. I believe it is a biblical and logical way to keep our congregational worship authentic, humble, edifying, and ultimately glorifying to God when it comes to the use of technology in the worship service.

The Sound Doxology Tech Check:

* Figure out if the technology you use is beneficial
* Ask if it is necessary
* Find out if you have become dependent on anything unnecessary
* If it is beneficial and unnecessary then use it with the expectation that you may not be able to use it and work out a solution to make that statement true