On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
I’m going to put my foot in it big time, but it is a subject that has been puzzling me for a long time. I would like to talk about…. Church music. Gasp!
The ongoing controversy in the 21st century church that is tearing them apart is not gay marriage, abortion or sexual sin, it is church music
I typed “what does the bible say about music “into my browser and came up with a whole page of scripture on the subject. If you would like to see them all, click HERE
Here is one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament:
Psalm 95:2
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And then there is this:
Proverbs 25:20
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.
So, it would seem that controversy about music is not new. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says: What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Mulling on this subject I ran various scenarios through my mind, trying to find an answer and this is what I came up with.
Many denominations routinely rotate ministers from church to church. Others keep the same one until the Lord tells them to move or their congregation asks them to leave. I believe that just as the church body learns from their pastor, the pastor learns from the church and sometimes they need to move to share what they learned or they have something else to learn.
So I came up with the idea that if your church is not providing the kind of music you enjoy maybe you should be willing to move on. I envisioned happy vibrant congregations filled with people who agreed on the same music and would be ready to move forward in serving God.
I shared this theory with a group of senior ladies I meet for breakfast. Their responses were enlightening.
Barb has young adult children, raising families and she felt compromise was the answer, with each group sharing the music, hymns and contemporary Christian. I asked if she had seen this work in a church. No, was her answer.
Greta shared that when she was younger, she was opposed to having a trumpet or drum set being played in church, but now was fine with it. She also made the point that moving to another church defeats the goal of being an active member, serving the church and the community. You make close friends in church and know you can depend on them in a time of need.
Irene is a gifted pianist but grew up in a church that did not use any instruments, not even an organ. (I wonder if this denomination might have been on the right track after all)
Peggy is the senior member of our group and filled with wisdom. She sat quietly during the discussion. When it was her turn here is what she said, paraphrased because of course, I did not write it down.
The word of God and teaching it should be the priority in every church, nothing should come before it.
So simple and so correct. I welcome your thoughts.
Tags: #Choir #Music Directors #Young Adults, #Church Music, #Seniors, Christian bloggers, Christianity, Faith, the 21st century church
On Sundays, our children’s class sings and plays percussion instruments. We have a special song called “Never Alone.” It was Bill’s favorite hymn when he was growing up and the concept of God staying near stuck with him. The kids like it too. Tina and Anna sing at the top of their lungs. They are cousins. Both their dads have been in prison for most of the girl’s lives.
Old Things R New 