I Gotta Have My Joy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKm60OkV0iQ

I don't know how you navigate life from day to day but one thing I have discovered in 2011 is that I simply cannot operate without a deep measure of joy in the living God. If you grew up in a church using the Pentecostal Praises hymnal then probably know what page 202A was: "Joy Unspeakable." We wore that song out, but we loved, I loved it. But my favorite hymn on joy is this classic song, "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee." The melody was taken from the Ode to Joy, the last movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, one of the beautiful pieces of music ever written, and the words are from a poem written in 1907 by Henry Van Dyke. The melody and the words were published together for the first time in The Presbyterian Hymnal of 1911. No other song captures for me the truth that God alone is the source of abiding and lasting joy. And I particularly enjoy this contemporary rendition of it with several new refrains added. It is the most played song on my iPod in 2011. There are many things I can go without, but I tend towards despondency and the one thing I must have is joy in the Lord because joy and hope are two sides of the same coin. Psalm 43:3-5 [ESV] 3 Send our your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

95 Theses on the Worship Wars

95 would be a nice number. Luther wrote 95 theses and nailed them to Wittenberg Church door. No one does that anymore, and who would read them? Alas, here are my 95 Theses 71 random thoughts on the worship wars, that unfortunate bickering and fighting about what songs we sing, what instruments we play, how… [Read more…]

Worship Discussion: What Songs Should We Keep?

In the midst of the so-called worship wars in the church culture of the 21st century, I wonder what we’ve lost on both sides.  On the one side, I see desire lost for God’s ongoing work from generation to generation, fresh vision, original creativity and innovation and on the other side I see a fading… [Read more…]

The Sound of Silence in a Moment of Worship

Silence is one of a number of “s” words that we are seeming to lose in conversations on worship and church service planning: seriousness, solemnity, soberness, and the sacred. This thought was provoked by this interesting perspective on the place of silence in a worship service, rather contrary to reigning opinion on the matter.  I’m… [Read more…]

Music and Worship – Part 1: Music, Its Context, and Diversity

It seems that in almost every church circle, organization, denomination, and fellowship the issues of worship and music continually stir up trouble, strife, and division.  Why?  It seems that if someone got up and preached that Jesus rose spiritually rather than physically most might go “hmm, that’s strange,” but no problem – but if the… [Read more…]