Not My Style of Music
Dave Faust
I don't think I would have liked that kind of music. Thousands of women smacking tambourines while they sang about horses and riders hurled into the sea? No, thanks. I think I'll change the channel.
I wouldn't have enjoyed a young man's harp solo.
Would it help my worship to hear hundreds of men crash cymbals and strum on loud stringed instruments? That sounds like a distraction, not an aid to praising God.
Would I like it if two large choirs held an outdoor concert and sang and played so loudly that people could hear the sound far away?
Would I enjoy a long, formal song of antiphonal praise as a worship leader chants a lengthy recitation about God's work in history and the congregation responds with the exact same phrase 26 times in a row? Hmmm. Maybe not.
Would I want to sing a hymn in a house where 12 men had gathered? Sometimes I don't feel comfortable singing in a small group. And might an old hymn's words and melody seem out-of-date?
I'm no professional musician, but I know what kind of music helps me worship God. Lyrics faithful to Scripture. Powerful, clear, poetic phrases that express my love for the Lord. Beautiful, soul-stirring tunes and chords that honor the Creator of notes and harmonies and rhythms and vocal cords and ears. Music that, to the highest extent possible, the whole gathered body of believers can appreciate and participate in regardless of individual preferences. Music that helps us join together and verbalize our prayers of confession, praise, and thanksgiving. Music written, played, and sung to the glory of God with reverence, joy, sincerity, and enthusiasm.
That's what I like. But of course, I'm only one member of Christ's body. "What I like" can't be the rulebook for anything, including church music. God didn't ask me to compose a manual of style for worship leaders and musicians. He already composed one himself.
The Bible tells about a remarkable variety of ways God's people praised him with music. Thousands of women with tambourines? Miriam led them in Exodus 15. A young man's harp solo? David in 1 Samuel 18 and 19. Hundreds of singing cymbal-crashers? The temple music described in 1 Chronicles 25. Two noisy choirs singing outdoors? The dedication of the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 12. Formal antiphonal singing? Psalm 136. A small group of men singing a hymn? Jesus and his apostles in the upper room (Matthew 26:30).
God has enabled faithful followers to write worship songs for every time and culture. Despite their different approaches to music, these songwriters have interesting stories to tell and a deep faith they want to express. They help Christians praise God from our hearts with a wide variety of musical styles from Austin to Australia, from Haiti to Hawaii, from New Zealand to Zimbabwe.
In the church, all of us must work together to sing with our spirits and minds (1 Corinthians 14:15), to sing "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19) "with gratitude in our hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16), to "sing songs of praise" when we're happy (James 5:13), and to prepare ourselves for Heaven where the biggest choir ever assembled sings praise to God (Revelation 5:9-13).
That's God's style of music. What's yours?
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Apr 26, 1998.
Not My Favorite Book
Most Bible readers don’t place the book of Leviticus high on their list of favorite Scriptures. Many who attempt to read the Bible from start to finish do fine until they get to Leviticus. Genesis grabs attention by informing us about the creation of the universe, Noah and the flood, and Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt. Exodus tells fascinating stories about the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.
‘Not So With You’
“It’s what Italians do,” he says when you dine at his home and he stuffs you with stuffed clams, pasta, and chicken cacciatore. His name is Modesto Sarno, but friends call him by his nickname, “Buddy.” He’s known to hundreds as simply “Uncle Buddy.” Buddy met Evelyn, the girl who eventually became his wife, while they were children growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he and Evelyn married in 1946, then moved to Long Island and became members of Nesconset Christian Church, a new congregation planted by the Orchard Group (then known as Go Ye Chapel Mission). Evelyn was a seamstress and Buddy made his living working for the Long Island Lighting Company, but their main goal was serving the Lord through their family and their church. At home they brought up a son, John, and a daughter Lisa, and they cared for five foster children, including a deaf child and another with cerebral palsy. In the church Buddy served as an elder and Evelyn served alongside him, often opening up their home to others in hospitality. (One evening they invited a young Long Island boy and his mom for dinner, and took them to church afterward. The boy grew up to be the famous musician, Billy Joel.) Buddy participated in an amateur drama group on Long Island that performed original plays, raising money to support Catskill Christian Assembly, a church camp in upstate New York where the Sarnos frequently volunteered. On several occasions the Sarnos traveled to Mexico to serve in a children’s home. Buddy served on the Go Ye Chapel Mission board, and over the years he helped to plant 18 new churches in the New York area.