Hey I wanted to put some feelers out to see what the interest would be in doing some music some time in some way in our Sunday night group. After the conversation Tuesday night a couple weeks back about our general aversion to the emotional experiences equal God's presence and performance based methods of worship we've all been accustomed to, I thought maybe we should experiment with doing something different. If I'm not mistaken, many of our members are music lovers and or players, so I thought a music element could be a positive thing for us - music has, after all, been a pretty integral part of christian gatherings since new testament times.
The whole concept is completely up for discussion - whether we want to do something like this at all, and if so, how could we do it and how often etc. Let me know what you think.
Oh and if you're reading this and you aren't a part of the group you are still welcome to comment or suggest!
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I would love for music to be a part of our meetings. But only if it is going be done by you guys with the gifting for it, no CD's.
ReplyDeleteI would really like for us to embark in a bit of a journey with it - I'd like to see us brain storm some different ideas that would be condusive to our group and our spiritual needs. Plus I think that you guys (Jason, Lorie, Nicole) should be blessing us with that gifting anyways :) .... but if we could somehow carve our own way with it, staying away from emotional specific stimulus, I think it would be sweet !
ReplyDeleteWe're game. We'll throw the guitar in for tonight.
ReplyDeleteHey all, no comments on music, but I wanted to let you know that my final immigration interview is on Wednesday morning at 8:45am. Please keep me and Jeanine in prayer regarding this, because, once that's said and done, and I'm finally a landed resident and my card comes in the mail, I can visit! Gotta love bureaucracy...ugh! Oh, please especially pray that the immigration officer is in high spirits.
ReplyDeleteHi . I have just come across your Blog. I was reading about your interest in having music at your Sunday night group. In the blog you said you have a aversion to the emotional experiences equal God’s presence and performance based methods of worship.. I am wondering what this really means. Is it that you do not like to fell God’s presence when you worship. Is it an aversion to have God indwell on the worship of His people. Or is it that you think it is phony worship… I am just trying to understand where you are coming from. God bless all.
ReplyDeletePs yes I am a born again Christian.
Hey anonymous - I guess I'll go ahead and take that on. As suggested up top, the thing that I shy away from is the emotional experience EQUALS God's presence bit. My experience in worship settings has often been that the two get intermingled so that the goal of a worship service becomes getting that emotional high - "feeling" God's presence. Then the worship leader has this huge responsibility to get people in the zone, ya know, and the worshipers count on the leaders to stir them up into feeling the spirit move. Now this isn't to take away from the emotional experiences people have had during a worship service, or say they weren't authentic.
ReplyDeleteWe all know God lives in us as Christians, and that where two or more are gethered in His name, he's there. So the goal of worship isn't to usher in the spirit - the goal is to praise Him, thank Him, honor Him, take time to focus on Him, proclaim what He's done for us, and listen for Him to speak. Getting a good feeling is at best a minor perk, and should not be treated as the goal. And certainly no relevant, talented, charismatic musicianship is needed for us to give this offering to God.
So uhh... I'm being a little bit wordy, but you're welcome to debate me on these points.
Thanks for the question!
Nikki
Hello Nikki. Thank you for the response to my questions. Every thing you say is true. So how would you go about a corporate worship with out worship music. How does everyone get involved or is it self worship.( worshiping God alone even when a group) . Seems kind of weird to me to do worship with out music to get everyone involved together. Again thank you for answering my questions.
ReplyDeleteActually I think music is a fantastic way to get corporate with our worship - worshiping God by oneself has it's place, but to worship with a community of believers and in the traditions of generations of followers is powerful.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there's more ways than music to worship together corporately. Some people are less into music and more geared towards, say, poetry or art. I personally really enjoy journaling as a means of worship.
I think the purpose of the post was to explore ways to incorporate music and other forms of worship corporately in our group, ways that would be meaningful to us and not necessarily constricted to the traditional ways that weren't resonating with us.
So what do you think? What are ways that you worship, besides singing worship songs, that could work in a corporate setting? (Think drawing, poetry, silence, spontaneous scripture reading...) Do you think changing the routine could be a good thing?
think that worship music is the best way to get any group into corporate worship. A worship leaders job is to bring the people into a closer relationship with God through music. This is not a easy job. As you can not please all the people all the time. As a seasoned Christian we know that worshiping God does not necessarily involve music that we like. We worship in spirit and truth while the others in the congregation might really be worshiping God in spirit and truth with the music. If we could all worship the same way how boring would that be. God made us all different. I hope you find some music that you and your group can worship to there is nothing better than to have a whole group on the same page worshiping together.
ReplyDeleteThank you again.
So how is journaling or poetry corporate worship if we don't express those thoughts or those poems to the congregation? Personally I write poems and when I do I feel close to God; It is a way I express my adoration. But if I take these poems that pour out of my heart and hide them under my bed, then how can there be corporate worship?
ReplyDeleteI think that we all worship God in our own unique ways, and because we do we all experience God differently. And we as individuals are to share those experiences with the "body", whether that be through music, muse or verse
Alex - fantastic that you brought this up considering you're the poet. I think we should do this too, although it will require a level of intimacy that seems kind of scary. Sharing the inner parts of ourselves is hard, no? Even in our group which has set out with the deliberate intention of being raw and real and knowing each other deeply I've found that sharing my struggles and even just my God-thoughts is hard.
ReplyDeleteSo you will be the brave one and kick us off I assume?
And anonymous -
ReplyDeleteYou really ought to sign your name!!
It seems as if I won't be able to convince you of meaningful corporate worship options outside of music, but it was still fun conversing with you.
Hay I agree with Alex that we are all unique as individuals. I am a good auto mechanic when I work on engines I put my all into it I love it and I believe it is a gift from God so I do it as if working unto God. Now we know that this Is a form of worship. As is Alex poetry. Now if I fix the engine in your car. And you look at the engine how does that help you to worship God. I know that poetry can move the heart and the mind. And so does a good running engine to other people. But still how does this help corporate worship. Unless we are all mechanics. Or all poets or have the same taste in poetry. I am anxious to here how Alex poetry helps your group to worship. I am not above learning when it Comes to God and serving Him and worshiping Him.
ReplyDeleteHaha that why there is an Anonymous option. God bless you and your group again.
Well anonymous, how about this? I will take a poem out from under my bed and you tell me how, if at all it helps you to worship God...
ReplyDeleteStep out of the boat into the storm tossed sea.
Step out of the boat and come unto me.
Don't be afraid of the waves that crash down.
For I am right here, you will not drown.
And maybe anyone else who has been reading this thread should comment on how, if at all it moves you into a state of worship. It would be neat to see if there is a corporate consensus.
ReplyDeleteHay Alex
ReplyDeleteWell I don’t know if I could worship God to that poem. It brings to my mind stepping out of our comfort zone it is not a easy thing to do. I can see how stepping out of the boat could be related to this. And God is right here to help us to get us through. For I am here, you will not drown.
I don’t know what it did for anyone else but that is what it did for me. It also brings to my mind Peter as he stepped out of the boat in the storm tossed sea. Matt, 14:22-33. Good poem Alex if one takes the time to contemplate it. It says a lot.