Tower and Town, August 2018 (view the full edition)Clergy Letter: Music In ChurchMusic plays an important part in our worship. When words are put to music it has a way of engaging the heart as well as the mind and can draw us into a sense of the presence of God. Over the past 50 years there has been an explosion of new hymns and worship songs. This, I believe, has been a great blessing to the Church and has enhanced our worship. But it can also cause problems. With increasing diversity of musical styles, it is harder to plan worship that appeals to all. For some, a formal choral evensong can transport them to heaven whereas for others this can leave them cold. Increasingly churches have music groups which lead the worship with contemporary worship songs which are a blessing to some but are off-putting to those who love the well known traditional hymns and more classical music. As I sometimes say, there are 'Radio 1 Christians' and 'Radio 3 Christians'. There is no 'right' way when it comes to style of music used to worship God - it is a matter of taste. At St. Mary's Church 10am Parish Communion service we have consciously tried to steer a middle path with traditional hymns and modern worship songs. But it is not just about a balance between old and new. Those who choose the music try to pick hymns and songs which fit not only with the theme of the service as determined by the Bible readings but also the place within the service. The opening hymn / song is usually something which is 'up beat', encouraging everyone to open themselves to the presence of God. The next which comes between the Bible readings tends to be quieter and more reflective, causing us to respond in some way to God's word. The Offertory hymn when the collection is taken may have words that enable us to offer ourselves afresh to God before we move into the Communion. Then after we have received communion we have a 'Post Communion' song which is quiet and meditative enabling us to be still in God's presence. Then the final hymn is more upbeat sending us back out into the world, encouraging us to 'make Jesus known'. It is not possible to please everyone all of the time but we hope that through the different styles of music we can all experience God in a new way. I love the diversity that modern worship songs bring to our worship and am encouraged that the best of these modern songs are often sung on big occasions in Salisbury Cathedral. David Maurice |