By David Faust
I never took a course in music theory, but I learned to sing four-part harmony as a boy in church hearing hymns and gospel songs like “The Church’s One Foundation” and “Standing on the Promises.” I absorbed the alto, tenor, bass, and melody lines while looking forward to the meal warming in the oven that our family would devour when we finally got home from church.
My brothers and I loved sports, so we weren’t thrilled when our parents decided we should take piano lessons. We learned the basics, but we didn’t practice very much, and Mom and Dad didn’t want to waste the $1.00 per person it cost back then for our half-hour lessons. Soon the piano lessons ended, and instead of the scales and classical pieces our teacher assigned, we now could play whatever we wanted—and that’s when I started to enjoy playing the piano.
I imitated popular songs I heard on the radio, made up songs of my own, and sometimes played songs I found in the hymnal, Great Songs of the Church, that we used on Sundays. My favorite was number 322—“At Calvary”—because it was in the key of C and easy to play.
In biblical times, Jewish boys and girls soaked up the music they heard in the temple. Their families used an old songbook that’s still in print today: the book of Psalms. We can learn several practical lessons about worship from two of these ancient songs (Psalms 100 and 150).
Why Do We Worship?
God created us. “It is he who made us” (Psalm 100:3). He is perfect, consistent, and reliable. “The Lord is good” (100:5). “His faithfulness continues through all generations” (100:5). He has performed mighty deeds. “Praise him for his acts of power” (Psalm 150:2). He deserves our highest honor and recognition. “Praise him for his surpassing greatness” (150:2).
How Do We Worship?
Worship shouldn’t be boring. The Psalms tell us to worship enthusiastically, cheerfully, and gratefully. “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (100:1). “Worship the Lord with gladness” (100:2). “Give thanks to him and praise his name” (100:4).
We can worship the Lord with a variety of music. “Come before him with joyful songs” (100:2). According to Psalm 150:3-5, the Hebrews praised God with physical movement (dancing), wind instruments (horns and pipes), stringed instruments (harps and lyres), and rhythm instruments (tambourines and cymbals).
Musical styles and tastes change with the times, but in any culture the goal of church music should be to glorify God and express our love for him, not merely to fill time in the service or entertain the crowd. Does your church’s music help you come before the Lord “with joyful songs”? Does it encourage unity, or division and frustration?
Where Do We Worship?
We can praise God anywhere, but aren’t you thankful for special places set apart for the worship of God? “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (100:4). “Praise God in his sanctuary” (150:1).
Eventually we will join the angels and worship the Lord in the heavenly places. “Praise him in his mighty heavens” (150:1).
When Do We Worship?
As long as we live. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (150:6). And even when we stop breathing, we can join the never-ending, awe-inspiring worship service in the heavenly realms. That old Hebrew songbook assures us, “his love endures forever” (100:5).
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Author’s Note: Many older readers of Christian Standard and The Lookout may remember Great Songs of the Church, which Standard Publishing first printed and offered for sale in 1937. The hymnal’s Foreword called it “probably the costliest collection of great religious copyrights ever assembled in a single volume.” When he renewed the copyright in 1965, compiler E. L. Jorgenson included this note at the end of the Foreword: “And now, in profoundest adoration and gratitude, the work is again committed to the care of Him whose we are and whom we serve—Christ Jesus, the Lord.”
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Personal Challenge: What do you appreciate most about God? Say a prayer of praise, expressing your love for the Lord and your gratitude for his blessings.
Well written David. As soon as you mentioned hymn 322, I knew exactly where you were going. We’ve sang that hymn from that hymnal many times with you in North Syracuse Christian Church!
I cut my musical eye teeth on Great Songs of the Church! My friend Doug and I even played baseball games with it — pages 1-61 were home runs; pages 62-191 were RBI’s; pages 192–406 were batting averages; pages 112-599 were ERA. We’d flip the book around, open it at random, and write the results on the back of the church bulletin!