“C’est la jour de la Noël” or "Why on Earth Did He Pick THAT Song?"

I’ve heard the question before, and since I chose a French carol to sing on Christmas Eve, I thought it was a good opportunity to put the answer out there in greater detail and for the world to see!  There are several things I take into consideration when picking out music for church.  In (relatively) random order:

1)         PRAYER. I cannot emphasize this enough. My mother, who was a church organist for about 40 years, told me a story about another organist she knew. This other lady (NOT Mom!) would watch a certain variety television show every Saturday night, on which the last song played was always a religious song. That was the song she would choose for her offertory the next day! This comes from the same school of thought that says, "Let's see what God's will for us is in this situation. Quick--Open a bible randomly, close your eyes, and point to a verse!" While I don't debate God's ability to use this methodology, I wouldn't recommend it as a general modus operandi!  I cannot count the number of times Mom or I have been given a little wink from God (i.e. “Coincidence”) like when the pastor quoted a verse in his sermon from a hymn one of us chose without our foreknowledge, or the organist used a hymn we chose as a prelude or postlude.  I feel these incidents as hugs from God, reassuring me that He has ordered all things in the service for His Glory.  In short, I don’t just throw a metaphorical dart at the board and hope it hits the bull’s-eye!

2)         PURPOSE.  There are many different purposes a particular song can have in a service:

a.      What does it do for the structure of the service itself?  Does it (joyously) call us to order, to worship God in His sanctuary?  Does it prepare us for or conclude a time of introspection and quietness?  Does it put us in a proper attitude for the giving of our tithes and offerings?  Does it commission us to leave the service to go and serve Him with love and joy?  These are functions within the structure of the service that I take into account when choosing music.

b.     Does it reinforce the message of the day?  Some pastors, Albert included, are kind enough to tell their musicians ahead of time what their particular topic will be on a given Sunday.  Most often, I apply this criterion to the choir’s anthem and/or the second hymn, which both usually precede the sermon.  In the human brain, music physically and chemically happens on the “Artsy” side of the brain, and the spoken word happens on the “Logical” side of the brain.  Sung music—music with words—happens on both sides of the brain, thus developing and reinforcing more synapses than speech or music alone.  This is the reason we can be so passionate about what music we like and what music we don’t like!  God has literally hard-wired sung music into our brains on a deeper emotional level!  (Hmmm… future Blog Topic???)  It is also the reason it is easier to learn something if you put it to song (e.g. “The Alphabet Song”).

c.      Does it serve a musical purpose?  Sometimes I choose a hymn, in addition to other criteria, because it is one we have not sung before, or because it is by a particular well-known composer.  I might choose a song (more often for the choir) because it is a little challenging!  Part of my job is to teach the music of the Church.  If we always sing the same songs over and over and over again, we are not learning anything new, and we are not developing our musical ability.  God expects us to grow and develop, not stagnate!

3)         THEOLOGY.  Is it scriptural and “Deep” enough?  There are several reasons we don’t often sing “Jesus Loves Me” in the service.  Yes, it is scriptural, but it’s not very deep.  The assumption is that if you are mature enough to sit through a service, you are mature enough to handle a song with more “Meat.”  (See I Cor 3:2)  This is where singing music in languages most of us don’t speak comes in!  Too often we forget that God is not completely within our understanding!  Yes, He wants to be in relation with us—He wants us to seek to know Him, but (1) He is God!  He is bigger than our tiny human minds can fathom, and (2) “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp,” meaning there is always room to grow, room for improvement, and more of God to know!  We can never sit on our laurels!  I occasionally choose music in other languages to emphasize the mystery, wonder, and awe of God!  Of course, all these other criteria are also considered!

4)         MUSICALITY.  Is it musically developed enough?  This is another reason we do not often sing “Jesus Loves Me,” in church.  It is also the reason we don’t sing compositions by Samuel Barber as a congregation.  “Jesus Loves Me” is a great song (very important for children to learn!), but a bit too simple, musically speaking, and Barber was a brilliant composer, but his compositions are far too difficult to sing as a congregation.

5)         POPULARITY and ACCESSIBILITY.  These are TRICKY concerns, but still on the list!  Church musicians walk precarious lines between banality and esotericism and between Mission and Nurture.  First we must find a balance between music that appeals and/or is too trite and music that is too complex or just generally unpopular.  Next we must find the median between appealing to the masses and the un-churched (Mission), and comforting and teaching the saved (Nurture).  Often this is done in the total blend of the songs, not in one piece alone, but it is a final consideration that nips at my mental heels like a hyperactive Chihuahua that won’t be forgotten!  In other words, I can’t please all the people all the time!  Some of ‘em always, and all of ‘em some days!  (I do love a good rhyme!)

Well that’s it in a nutshell!  OK… maybe a coconut shell!  Alright, both halves of the biggest coconut you’ve ever seen, but that is how I do it!  Thanks for reading!

Ever His,