Did you know that for nearly 1200 years the church did not sing? There was music, but the congregation did not sing. The Council of Laodicea in the 4th century (363-4 A.D) decreed in Canon 17, “The Psalms are not to be joined together in the congregations, but a lesson shall intervene after every psalm. ” So, for 1200 years only the clergy were allowed to sing. This is the world that Martin Luther the father of the reformation was raised and trained. He was noted to have said:
“The gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely by proclaiming the Word of God through music.”
Among other things, the reformation restored the Word of God to the people, broke down the barriers of legalism and corruption in the Catholic Church and gave the song back to the people. It’s been nearly 500 years since the precious gift of singing to God in the congregation was restored. So, what have we done with it?
Can you imagine walking into a church worship service and the people basically stare at the front while those who are trained to sing perform their worship? Can you imagine the feeling of disconnect the people must have felt when they didn’t know how to engage in worship because the environment and methodology prohibited congregational song? Can you imagine being in a place where the primary emphasis was on the spiritual or intellectual prowess of the composer or the performance proficiency of the musicians on the platform? Such was the world of Martin Luther. Aren’t you glad we do not struggle this way today? (Yes, sarcasm included.)
For years I have seen arms crossed, bored, and otherwise disconnected “worshippers”. It breaks my heart. It begs the question, why do the people refuse to sing? What causes the church to disconnect from the joy and freedom of singing praise to God in times of worship? As the three people who actually read this blog can attest, I have some thoughts and opinions on the matter.
Ten Reasons for Silent Worship
There are many dynamics that go into congregational singing. It is hard to communicate them all in a succinct fashion. Therefore, I have chosen 5 key factors which are related to the worshipper and 5 related to the leadership. Take a few minutes and see if any of these statements fit you.
For Worshippers:
Worshipper, here are a few probing questions to help you examine the health of your personal or church’s appetite for corporate worship.
Self-Centeredness:
We are all self-centered. Worship is designed to rid us of our selfishness and allow us to see God for who He is not who we desire Him to be. Philippians 2 instructs us through what is considered an early church hymn to have the mind of Christ as we live and worship. Are you struggling with being self-centered in worship?
- What priority is worship, not singing, but the act of worship in your everyday life?
- How often do you enjoy God and rejoice in His sacrificial love for you?
- How often are you distracted, late or otherwise not prepared for corporate worship?
- How often when you leave church are you tempted to say, “I just didn’t get much out of that today.”?
- How often do you slip out of church after the sermon or come in after the opening music just to avoid it?
- Do you consider corporate worship as a time to give of yourself rather than receive a blessing, knowledge or happiness?
Self-Consciousness:
Having grown up in the self-esteem generation, I recognize that culture has encouraged us to be more aware of ourselves than is likely healthy. Worship is not to make us feel better about ourselves, it is designed for us to acknowledge who God is and how the reality of His love for us gives us hope, joy, peace and life based on grace not some intrinsic goodness. Spend some time in Ezekiel 33-39 and see what lengths God is willing to go to make Himself the object of our affections. Are you overly self-aware when it comes to corporate worship?
- If you sing are you tempted to think, “I hope nobody can hear me.”?
- If you sing do you hope everybody can hear you?
- How often have you said, I don’t want to be a distraction to those around me so I don’t sing”?
- How tempting is it for you to allow the level of enthusiasm you have for worship to be dampened by others?
- Has someone ever told you “you can’t or shouldn’t sing”?
Self-Sufficiency:
We are not naturally inclined to be dependent people. We want to think we are able to be an island to ourselves and yet we crave attention through social media outlets like Facebook. Humanity is a paradox of dependency and self-sufficiency. Corporate worship is a communal act. It is designed to display our weakness which just so happens to be our greatest strength. We are dependent upon God. “You are not your own, you were bought with a price”. (1 Cor. 6:19-20) Humbled by His majesty and yet victorious in His grace. Is it tempting for you to make your worship and island of silence?
- I just do not like the music. It’s not my style.
- I get my worship time in with my iPod during the week.
- I’m just not a musical person. It doesn’t do anything for me, just give me the Bible.
- I don’t have to attend congregational worship to have a vibrant worship life.
- Those people (church members) are all fake and hypocrites, I can’t trust them.
Self-Loathing:
Some of us struggle with a different type of pride. We struggle with accepting God’s grace for our failures and allow them overwhelm us and hinder corporate worship participation over guilt. If we have unconfessed sin, then certainly some worship through confession is necessary, but do not hang out there. (1 John 1:9) Let the grace of God lead you toward freedom in your worship that you may sing the praises of Him who called you out of darkness to His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
- How tempting is it to keep silent in the congregation when you are aware of a particular sin struggle in your life?
- Is it difficult to let God speak through you in song when you are struggling with hurt, pain and even doubting God in some way?
- Do you ever feel that you “can’t sing” because of an overwhelming feeling of guilt or lack of worthiness?
- Is there some sin(s) that God is convicting you of that is hindering your praise?
Self-Deception:
This one may sound harsh, but the truth is we are more often self-deceived than we are deceived by others. We believe certain things about ourselves that we hope are true but in reality we know they are not. When it comes to singing in worship many have bought and believed the lie that God doesn’t really care if you sing to Him. This just isn’t biblical thinking. The Scriptures are not specific about how to sing but they are specific about the act itself. There are many old and new testament passages that support this. (Read: Psalms 1-150, Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16) Have you fooled yourself into thinking that singing to God is optional?
- I can worship just as effectively without singing.
- God doesn’t need me to sing to be worshipped.
- It is not a sin to not sing.
I frequently hear or deal with many of these concerns. Each has its own level of self-involvement. That is the point. We tend to make worship about ourselves. The issues are not new, though they have a modernized context. We must know that these symptoms have plagued those who worship God for millennia. The majority of the Bible has dealt with those who basically have made worship of God about themselves. We tend to assume that God is okay with a lazy approach to congregational singing. It is not ancillary to the worship of God nor is it to be merely compulsory. It is to come from a heart that knows God and is truly grateful for who He is and what He has done.
Simultaneously, God does not give us suggestions and a menu of options for our worship. We have liberty in our style and even some of the mechanics of worship, but the substance and heart of our worship remains constant. It is about a Holy God and His son Jesus Christ. God has prescribed that we praise and sing to Him. The language in the Old Testament is especially emphatic. Meaning, it is a command. When the Psalmist writes, “Sing to the Lord”, it is not a suggestion but a command. Do not be deceived into thinking that your voice in praise is not only a privilege but a command. Therefore brothers and sisters who love God, sing to Him. Let nothing rob you of your joy in praise, not even your own heart. He has known and loved you with an everlasting love and He demands and deserves to be glorified.
For Leadership:
Leader, what are you doing to best help your people engage with God through praise and singing?
Sing-ability
- Are you utilizing songs that are keyed appropriately?
- Are melodic lines suitable for the people in your congregation?
- Is the melody identifiable in the context of the harmonies and musical arrangement?
Familiarity
- Do the people know the songs?
- What are you doing as a leader to help them learn them before coming to worship?
- Are you building in enough repeated uses of the songs to allow them to learn them before moving on to what is new?
- Why do they need to learn these songs, are they meaningful in some way to what is happening in the church that will draw them to desire and even hunger to sing them?
Substance
- Though subjective in nature, are you giving the people songs that give them hope?
- Do they teach valuable things about who God is and His very nature?
- Do they speak well of both His holiness and His nearness as a friend?
- Are they biblical? Do they represent truth in a way that illuminates how God desires to be worshipped?
- Are you balancing out the substance of objective praise and personal expression of adoration? For example, do you have a good balance of songs that speak to who God is and also songs that allow for personal expressions or prayer, confession, love, adoration and celebration?
Intelligibility
- Are you as the leader structuring your musical selections and presenting them in a way where the people know how to engage?
- Are you clear in your instructions and have you removed technological and audio visual distractions so the people can see the words, understand the melodic line, and feel comfortable singing?
Sensitivity
- How well do you know your people?
- Are you teaching them new songs well and at a suitable pace for their abilities?
- Do you know their history and what music selections speak to them most appropriately?
- Are you planning in such a way that the music is fitting to the occasion and instruction.
Leaders, these are a few questions I have to ask myself weekly as I approach worship. We will succeed and fail periodically in the application of all of these principles. We do have a responsibility to our people to not only present the music portion of worship in an excellent manner but also in an attainable manner. Much of the success of congregational worship is hinged on what we do. Lead, love and guide your people to love to sing by giving them songs that magnify triune God and are set up in a way that they are invited to participate and celebrate in worship together.